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As California continues to ride its worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials have more disturbing news: four cases of a worrying, potentially more contagious new coronavirus variant have been detected in California.
The new strain, first detected in the UK, has also been seen in Colorado and Florida and 33 other states.
Last week, San Diego County reported that the new variant, called B.1.1.7, has been identified in a 30-year-old man with no travel history. Government Gavin Newsom made the discovery in a live event with dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading national voice in the pandemic, announced. Over the weekend, San Diego County health officials reported three additional cases.
Fauci said this news is expected as international travel continues and viruses in general change. “RNA viruses, they deserve a existence of mutation,” he said. “The more you repeat, the more you mutate.”
However, the lack of travel history in the San Diego case is an indication that the new form of the virus is spreading among the community, health officials there said.
“What’s really important is that the detection of this generation here does not really change what we need to do, except that we need to do it better,” Dr Kristian Andersen, an expert in infectious diseases and genomics at Scripps Research in San Diego, said at a news conference. These include wearing masks and maintaining social distance.
Here’s what Californians need to know about the new coronavirus strain.
How was it discovered?
The new virus variant was first reported by England’s public health agency following an increase in cases in the south – eastern part of the country. The first two samples were discovered in Kent and London in September.
While mutations are common in viruses, this particular strain has stood out, according to researchers, because it causes more genetic changes than is typical.
What is the problem with this coronavirus variant?
Public health officials say the new strain appears to be more easily transmitted than the standard form of the virus. This means that people who are exposed are more likely to become infected.
According to health officials in the UK, evidence shows that infection grows faster in geographical areas where this variant occurs. A study by The Center for the Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases in London shows that the specific strain is 56% more transmissible. The study is still being judged by peers.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s health secretary, explained at a recent news conference: “Entering COVID into a human cell must bind it to a receptor, a kind of front door in a human cell,” he said. said. “And it seems that the new, mutated COVID virus binds a little tighter, can enter the human body a little easier and easier than our current COVID virus.”
It remains unclear how this mutant form of the virus contributed to the current boom in California. Officials said the prevalence here is still likely to be low. On Dec. 21, Ghaly said California has been checking thousands of samples daily for the past month for mutations.
“We’re worried about the strangers,” Ghaly said. “We are concerned that we are not sure how this will affect the efforts of the broad to curb and reduce the virus as it currently exists.”
What is California doing in response?
The California Department of Public Health said health care providers are collecting samples for genetic sequencing, and the state is analyzing samples that are thought to be different strains.
“As variants and mutations are found, that information is used to inform public health decisions, and critical information is shared with the public,” the department said in an email.
How widespread is the new tribe?
After the new variant was discovered in the United Kingdom, about 40 countries restricted travel from the United Kingdom. The variant has since been reported in France, Japan, Spain, Sweden and Canada, among others.
The first known U.S. case, in a Colorado National Guardsman in his 20s, was reported on Dec. 30.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two variants that share some mutations with the British variant have also been reported in South Africa and Nigeria.
“We know there is more. We do not know how many, ”said Andersen, the expert in San Diego. “Its prevalence is currently relatively low.”
Will it make me sicker?
At present, there is no evidence that this new COVID variant has a higher mortality rate or causes serious diseases than the current predominant strain, according to the CDC. In a recent UK government study, patients infected with the new variant were compared with those with the predominant strain and no statistically significant differences were found in the severity of diseases, deaths or reinfection. However, scientists around the world are still studying the British variant, and more answers may come soon.
Will currently authorized vaccines be protected against this new strain?
Scientists believe they will. Fauci told Newsom last week that the variant “apparently does not evade the protection afforded by the antibodies caused by vaccines.” But scientists are testing the variant against the currently authorized vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna.
The CEO of AstraZeneca, which is developing another candidate for COVID-19 vaccine, told the London Times that the company’s scientists believe that the vaccine will protect against the new variant. But some scientists believe that the British variant, or future variants, may be more difficult to overcome vaccines.
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CalMatters COVID-19 coverage, translation and distribution are supported by generous grants from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation.
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