COVID-19 Resources for Patients and Families

The Public Health Agency of Canada has developed national definitions, designations, and public health actions for SARS-CoV-2 Variants under Monitoring (VUM), Variants of Interest (VOI), Variants of Concern (VOC), and De-escalated Variants.

Health Canada has authorized the use of the Moderna SPIKEVAX™ COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant for people six months of age and older.

Virologist explains EG.5’s role in the mid-year spike in cases, what precautions to take to protect yourself, and why the new vaccine—set for release this fall—will offer better protection than previous versions.

A Yale Medicine expert explains whether EG.5 is more transmissible or severe than previous Omicron subvariants.

The new variant that is causing concern around the world is the “delta” variant, that is more contagious than other variants. Read more about COVID-19 variants and other Coronavirus mutations.

Some questions patients might have about the XBB.1.5 COVID-19 subvariant, along with the answers that physicians should be ready to share.

What is it, how does it transmit, can you catch it if you have already had COVID, will the bivalent boosters work against it.

World Health Organization (WHO) representative talks about XBB.1.5 subvariant, saying it has a 'growth advantage' and was 'the most transmissible subvariant that has been detected yet.'

What we know about XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant and how contiguous it is.

How quickly the sub-variants can spread and what you can do to protect yourself.

What are Omicron BA.5 symptoms, is Omicron BA.5 able to spread more easily, does Omicron BA.5 cause more severe illness, do COVID vaccines protect against BA.5, what do Omicron variants tell about the future of COVID