| Indianapolis Star
COVID-19: California reports first case of more infectious strain
Government Gavin Newsom said in an online conversation with dr. Anthony Fauci spoke, who said he was not surprised by the finding in California.
Associated Press, USA TODAY
Health officials in Indiana are investigating whether a new, possibly transmissible type of coronavirus is circulating in the state.
State Health Commissioner Dr Kris Box said earlier this week that state scientists had found some coronavirus samples that were similar to the variety strain that England had re-locked.
“We are monitoring this through our lab and have found that certain tests have been done that contain some markers that may fit with this mutation,” Box said Wednesday.
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In order to determine whether these specimens are indeed the new British strain, which looks particularly contagious to children, the state Department of Health is asking scientists from Eli Lilly and Co. to do complete genetic sequencing.
Box said she would expect some results later this month.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said Thursday that more than 50 cases of the new variant have been found in five states – Colorado, California, New York, Florida and Georgia. California has confirmed at least 26 cases regarding the variant and Florida 22.
News reports on Thursday added Texas, Pennsylvania and Connecticut to the list of states that have seen this variant.
Although it is common for viruses to undergo frequent mutations, a variant originated in the United Kingdom and, according to the CDC, has an extremely large number of mutations.
It does not appear to cause serious illness or death, although it has the ability to spread more efficiently than some of its cousin variants, the CDC says.
Another variant that is also more easily distributed has been found in South Africa, and recently another variant has emerged in Nigeria.
Although it is possible that one of the variants may be resistant to the vaccines currently in use, the CDC says there is no evidence at this stage.
Contact Shari Rudavsky, IndyStar Reporter, at [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and beyond Twitter: @srudavsky.