COVID-19: At least 12 cases of new Kraken variant now in B.C.

Kraken, a variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 that has been sweeping through the U.S., is now in B.C.

The Provincial Health Services Authority has confirmed that as of late Wednesday there are at least 12 cases of the Kraken, or XBB. 1.5 — a subvariant of Omicron and a variant of concern — in the province. That’s up from the five cases reported Tuesday.

The cases have all been detected in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, according to an email from PHSA spokesperson Cassidy Olivier.

“It is important to note that these numbers are not reflective of all positive cases in the province. PCR testing is used primarily in health care settings, such as hospitals, to identify people who are more likely to experience severe illness from COVID-19. PCR tests are needed to sequence the COVID-19 virus to identify variants,” he said, in the email.