(Submitted photo/Saskatchewan Health Authority)

By Jaryn Vecchio

COVID Levels

Newest COVID subvariant now dominant strain in P.A. and North Battleford

Mar 14, 2022 | 1:44 PM

The newest variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain in Prince Albert and North Battleford.

That’s according to the University of Saskatchewan, which continues to study wastewater in those communities to find out how prevalent the virus is.

The Omicron-subvariant BA.2 is accounting for 70 per cent of all levels in each area.

This new strain, which is believed to be more contagious, has been popping up across Canada since the start of the year.

Last week, it accounted for around three per cent of levels in P.A. and just under half in North Battleford.

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The original Omicron variant is making up under 30 per cent of levels in both communities, however, researchers believe BA.2 will overtake it within the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, Prince Albert is seeing a slight increase in COVID levels over the past week while North Battleford is seeing a sizable drop.

Depending on how many people get tested and share their results with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), each city may see changes in their active case total when the province releases its weekly report on Thursday.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow