BOSTON (WHDH) – The threat of a new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus is causing concern in Massachusetts.
The variant, known as B117, has now been detected in Florida, Colorado and California.
Health experts across the country are tracking and monitoring the potential spread.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says he does not want people to be afraid of the new variant, but rather to be aware of it.
“I do not think Californians should feel that this is something strange,” he said after the variant was discovered in the state. ‘It’s expected. We will probably see reports from other states. ”
Doctors in Massachusetts say it should come as no surprise if the new tribe is already circulating in the Bay State.
“It’s not something that should cause panic, but it’s something that people should take seriously,” said Dr. Shira Doron, an epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, explains.
The variant was first discovered in the UK and health experts say it does not look more deadly or cause serious illness.
With the increasing COVID-19 cases nationwide, Doron says everyone needs to remember the basics.
“Now is not the time to travel,” she said. ‘This is not the time to get together with people outside your household. I’m not the time to forget your masks, your hand hygiene. We need to do all these things now more than ever before, knowing that we now have a light at the end of the tunnel. ‘
According to the state’s weekly COVID-19 vaccination report, nearly 80,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered in the Bay State.
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