In a media conference Friday afternoon, officials from the Department of Public Health in Fresno County said they had been informed by the state that three people had tested positive for the British coronavirus variant, or “B.1.1.7” as it is officially known stand.
“In many ways, it’s like we’re in the first few months of the pandemic again,” said Fresno County Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra, said.
Contact detectives from the health department have already reached out to all the people infected with the variant and are working to isolate people with whom they may have come into contact.
B.1.1.7 is one of the so-called ‘variants of concern’ and has been found to be 40 to 80 percent more transferable. It was first detected in the UK where it spread rapidly and caused a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
“We do not know if it is the dominant tribe,” said Dr. Vohra said. “That’s definitely the concern: if it becomes a dominant tension, it’s going to create a real setback in terms of our ability to look after people.”
Health officials said that this coronavirus variant not only spreads more easily than others, but that it is also more deadly. They recognized that the three cases are probably only a tip of the iceberg, and there are likely to be many more cases of these variety strains causing COVID cases in Fresno County.
Dr. Vohra said the rate falls are declining, but he said it is now starting to plateau, which he partly blames on the variants.
Health bureaus have said vaccinations will help prevent further spread, but they are also asking residents to continue with precautions.
Vohra said: “Do not let your guard down. We are still in the ‘press’ or the widespread community here in Fresno County compared to the rest of the state. So we have only reported many infections every day word. ‘
Research is still ongoing on how effective each of the vaccines is against the British variant, but experts believe they all help make people very ill.
Provincial health officials say so far, more than 320,000 doses of vaccines have been administered in Fresno County and 39,000 doses next week.
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