Experts warn of dangers as new, contagious COVID-19 strains arrive in South Florida

MIAMI – Almost a year in the coronavirus pandemic and the virus changes into several additional infectious strains.

A team of researchers is now focusing on the new variants to slow the spread in South Florida.

There are 19 counties in Florida that have positive cases of the more contagious UK strain COVID-19, of which the highest concentration can be found in the provinces of Miami-Dade and Broward.

Researchers at the University of Miami are investigating what mutated versions of COVID-19 are in South Florida by looking at the virus found in COVID-19 patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

RELATED: Florida Launches New COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Website

Aileen Marty, an expert on FIU infectious disease, said the more contagious strain in the UK was potentially more dangerous.

Advertisement

“Each variant has its own peculiarities and problems,” Marty said. “Hard scientific data, as well as epidemiological data, suggesting that the British variant is not only more contagious, but also perhaps worse.”

How well vaccines ultimately protect against the British strain and other mutations is also part of the research at UM.

Marty explained that tests show that current vaccines work against the British variant, but there are new concerns about other mutations already in the United States that could infect people who already had COVID-19.

“The South African variant and the Brazilian variant already show real problems for people who already had COVID,” Marty said. “Nine out of ten times are not protected at all against the South African variant.”