By: Ashima Shukla, Staff Writer
Public health researchers warn of a potential global summer surge as a new highly transmissible COVID-19 variant spreads across Asia. NB.1.8.1 has been classified as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization and has already been detected in the United States and Canada. In BC, wastewater analysis indicates rising COVID-19 levels since March, and some forecasters anticipate a surge caused by this new variant to hit as early as July or August.
As Kayli Jamieson, a research fellow at SFU’s faculty of health sciences, told The Peak, “NB.1.8.1 has emerged as a notable variant due to its extreme transmissibility.” Since SARS-CoV-2 circulates all year, it continues to mutate into hundreds of subvariants that are “so-far-removed from previous lineages, most people do not have ample updated vaccine protection,” she explained.
At the same time, repeated infections over the past few years have contributed to widespread immune system disruption, making the population more susceptible to all kinds of bacterial and viral illnesses. “Our population is much sicker” now, Jamieson notes, pointing to “COVID-inducted immune dysregulation, T-cell exhaustion, immune priming, and more.”
These long-term effects remain a major concern. Data from 2023 estimates 1 in 9 Canadians already have Long COVID, while global estimates from 2024 suggest more than 400 million people worldwide are experiencing it. Despite this, the condition is not included in BC’s “clinically extremely vulnerable” criteria for priority vaccination, as Jamieson noted.
“It is essential we limit the amount of times we are infected with SARS-CoV-2 to reduce our risk of developing Long COVID, prevent worsening of existing Long COVID, and reduce our overall risk of cardiovascular events/disorders, neurological disorders, and other harms.” — Kayli Jamieson, research fellow, SFU faculty of health science
However, Jamieson cautions against framing COVID-19 as only concerning higher-risk or vulnerable populations “when it is in fact an everyone-problem.” Having lived with Long COVID since 2021, she highlighted that “anyone can develop Long COVID after any infection, including adults and children of all ages, previous fitness levels, or vaccination status.” This is why “it is essential we limit the amount of times we are infected with SARS-CoV-2 to reduce our risk of developing Long COVID, prevent worsening of existing Long COVID, and reduce our overall risk of cardiovascular events/disorders, neurological disorders, and other harms,” she explained.
As the BC spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign ends June 30, Jamieson urges people to get vaccinated to lessen the risk of hospitalization and death. While vaccination alone cannot prevent infection, transmission, or Long COVID, she believes it remains a critical tool given the low rates of vaccine/booster uptake in the most recent federal data from June 2024. Jamieson recommends adopting a multi-layered strategy beyond just vaccination, including improving indoor air quality with ventilation and air purifiers, wearing well-fitting respirators like KN95s, N95s, or N99s, and opting for outdoor gatherings when possible. “Many of these layers recognize that COVID is airborne,” she explains, which is why “we must move beyond a ‘vaccine-only’ to ‘vaccine-plus’ strategy.”
Jamieson also cautioned against treating COVID-19 as “just a cold.” She added, “The common cold does not bind to our ACE2 receptors like COVID can — which is what makes COVID so effective at entering various cells.” ACE2 receptors are proteins found on the surface of many types of cells in the human body, including the lungs, heart, kidneys, intestines, and blood vessels. Unlike the common cold, SARS-CoV-2 uses these receptors to directly invade and infect multiple organ systems in the body, causing severe illness and long-term complications.
While Long COVID is beginning to receive more attention, with projects like the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded network Long COVID Web, “the population at-large still do not possess detailed knowledge of how Long COVID presents or their risk,” Jamieson shared. Despite thousands of studies, there is still prevalent stigma. With the summer season approaching and new variants circulating, Jamieson urges us to remember that the pandemic never ended.
