COVID subvariant HV.1 is spreading across Canada: What experts say people should know

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A new COVID-19 subvariant called HV.1 is spreading across Canada and might be the new dominant strain this winter, and while it's still early to tell, health experts suggest it won't be a major cause of concern.

HV.1 is a subvariant of Omicron, and it's rapidly becoming the most prevalent variant in the country, according to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that was updated on Nov. 14. At the start of September, HV. 1 made up 4.4 per cent of reported cases, until it ballooned to 34.2 per cent in early November.

"It's the newest Omicron on the block, it's the one that seems to be winning the race right now, but it's one of a handful of other respiratory viruses that are circulating," University of Saskatchewan virologist Angela Rasmussen tells Yahoo Canada.

"This is kind of what we should maybe expect to be our new normal for cold and flu season going forward."

Ahead of this year's respiratory virus season, should people be worrying about this new COVID-19 subvariant? Read on to learn more about HV.1 and what Canadian experts say about the virus.

What is COVID-19 subvariant HV.1?

Descending from EG. 5, or Eris, HV.1 is a derivative of the XBB lineage, according to Rasmussen.

"It's still Omicron, it's still an XBB family member. It's not actually that different from a lot of the other variants that have circulated this year."

Earl Brown, emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Ottawa, explains these viruses have a lot of mutations in their spike proteins, which they use to attach to our cells.

"Some of these variants have mutations that make them infect better, so they get into cells better, they can start an infection better and they compete better than other viruses," he tells Yahoo Canada.

"It looks like HV. 1 is 'flavour of the month' sort of thing. ... It's got about 40 new mutations on top of this 40 or 50 which are already in the Omicron group."

There's still a lot unknown about HV.1, as it hasn't been studied in comparison to other variants. But both Brown and Rasmussen say even if it might have a higher transmission advantage compared to other subvariants, there's no indication it may cause more severe disease.

Should people be concerned about COVID-19 subvariant HV.1?

While both experts agree HV.1 shouldn't create concerns about causing more severe disease, they also say it's important to avoid COVID-19 entirely.

"People should try to avoid infection if they can," Brown says. "Isolate themselves and do the masking when they go out, that sort of thing.

"You really don't want to be reinfected if you can avoid it."

People who are at risk of bad COVID-19 outcomes should be the most vigilant about staying healthy. That includes people who are older, pregnant people, anyone living with a chronic medical condition or those who are immunocompromised.

On top of wearing masks, ideally an N95 or KN95 respirator, people should limit the time they spend in closed or crowded spaces. They should also always maximize their physical distance from people outside of their household.

Will the updated vaccine work against COVID-19 subvariant HV.1?

At the bare minimum, according to Rasmussen, people should be staying up to date on their vaccines if they want to stay protected this respiratory virus season.

"If you haven't done it yet, go get your vaccines updated. You want to have an updated flu shot as well as an updated COVID booster," she says, adding that an RSV shot is good if applicable.

Since HV.1 is a derivative of XBB, Rasmussen says there should be some "fairly robust cross-protection" with the currently-available booster shots.

"The vaccines really do work," she adds. "They can be the difference between a miserable couple of days to a trip to the hospital."

While the current monovalent vaccines should work against HV.1, Rasmussen says it doesn't mean we're entirely safe from COVID-19 in the future.

"What's difficult to predict about this, though, is we don't know if another variant that's not XBB from Omicron is going to emerge," she says. "If so, how would we need to update vaccines to address that?"

What should people know about upcoming respiratory virus seasons?

If an entirely new variant of COVID-19 beyond Omicron emerged, Rasmussen says that would be a "big set back" to where we've gotten.

On the other hand, she explains there might be no more mutational combinations that would make the virus better at spreading than Omicron.

Either way, she says it wouldn't be like going back to square one.

"It's not like going back to the beginning of 2020 where it's a whole new virus that we've never seen before" she says. "There probably will still be some protections that prior infections and/or vaccinations offer."

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