1st Canadian case of highly mutated COVID-19 virus variant BA.2.86 detected in B.C.

Health officials in British Columbia say they have detected the first known Canadian case of the BA.2.86 COVID-19 virus variant.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control confirmed it was found in a person in the Fraser Health region, east of Vancouver, who has not travelled outside of the province.

In a joint statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said they are monitoring the variant but added it "was not unexpected" for it to show up in B.C. or in Canada.

"So far, there does not seem to be increased severity with this strain of COVID and the individual is not hospitalized," the statement reads.

Henry told CBC News that whole genome sequencing on viruses found in wastewater has not found the variant. 

"So that tells us there's probably not a lot of it," Henry said. 

She said the same trend is being seen globally. 

"It's not spreading terribly rapidly. We're not seeing more severe illness, but it is something for us to be aware of and to continue to watch."

A week ago, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported on its website that wastewater surveillance found viral loads were decreasing in Metro Vancouver treatment plants and were stable or rising slightly in plants in Interior Health and Island Health regions. 

Henry said Tuesday that "very low levels of COVID" are being detected in the water, but they are now rising slightly, particularly in the Lower Mainland and the Interior. 

"It's still low but increasing," she said, adding that such a rise is not unexpected heading into the fall respiratory season.

BA.2.86 was deemed a variant under monitoring by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Aug. 17.

Though only a handful of samples exist, its emergence across several continents since it was first identified in late July, coupled with its unusually high number of mutations, has put COVID watchers on high alert.

But it is still difficult to predict whether it will lead to any increase in severity of spread or infection, virologists say.