The end of the year brought with it a mutated COVID-19 strain that recently popped up in the UK and is possibly the cause of a current increase in coronavirus cases in California.
This weekend, an incredible 225,818 new cases of COVID-19 were reported across the U.S., particularly on the West Coast. In Los Angeles, the average number of daily cases at the latest count was recorded at nearly 14,000 per day.
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The rise in infections has been so explosive that officials in LA are now testing samples of the virus in new patients there to see if they can find evidence of the new COVID-19 strain, which scientists in the UK say could be more than 70 percent more be. transferable.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in LA County, said a public health lab has begun sequencing genes to test virus samples collected in LA County, but it will take about a week to complete the process to complete.
COVID-19 got out of control in Los Angeles County and other parts of California, overwhelmed hospitals and killed more people every day. On Thursday, LA County saw its highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a single day: 140.
The spread has been so rapid since Thanksgiving, when many families have defied public health guidelines and come together in large groups, that some have wondered if anything has changed about the virus. Officials believe the boom has been exacerbated by holiday events, but are also concerned about other factors, including people going shopping.
The CDC says that people who are in force from the UK after Monday will be in force on Monday to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test before they may flee. But given the ongoing voyage that many people are enjoying through the pandemic, it is not difficult to imagine that the new tribe may have been brought to American shores from across the Atlantic.
Scientists in the UK say there is no evidence that the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it cannot be treated by the coronavirus vaccines currently in circulation.
The California Health and Human Services Secretary, dr. Mark Ghaly, however, told the LA Times that the chances are more likely that people who are exposed to it could become infected.
“It seems that the new, mutated COVID virus binds a little tighter, penetrates the cell into the human body a little easier and easier than our current COVID virus, which we have here mainly in California and the United States,” he said. he said.
Countries across Europe have also imposed restrictions on UK travelers after officials last week announced the news of the new mutated strain, saying it could be blamed for 60% of the new COVID-19 infections in Britain.