Covid-19 variants account for about 78% of recent cases of Covid-19 in New York, according to data published Monday by the city’s Department of Health.
Nearly 1,500 virus samples were collected between March 22 and March 28 and genetically monitored by the New York City Pandemic Response Laboratory. Of the specimens, about 30% were identified as B.1.1.7, the variant first identified in the United Kingdom. Another 45% of the genetically consecutive samples were identified as B.1.526, the variant first discovered in New York City.
B.1.1.7 is classified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a source of concern, as it is more contagious and causes worse infections. B.1.526 is an interesting variant, with ongoing studies regarding its effect on the severity of the disease and the efficacy of the vaccine.
The prevalence of both of these variants increased rapidly in New York City. In the second half of February, B.1.1.7 made up about 10% of the genetically consecutive samples and B.1.526 about 35% of the samples sampled.
About 5% of confirmed cases were genetically traced, and both B.1.1.7 and B.1.526 were identified in all five districts, according to the Department of Health.
“The share of variants of concern and variants of interest is increasing,” according to the report, which suggests that the “spread of specific variants, possibly due to their greater contagion, is one reason COVID-19 cases in NYC on a high plateau of between 3,000 and 4,000 new cases every day. ‘
In the past seven days, New York City has reported more than 15,000 new cases of Covid-19, an improvement from the average of nearly 19,000 cases per week in recent weeks, according to data published by the city’s Department of Health. New York City, however, ranks 20th last week for most new Covid-19 cases per capita among U.S. metropolitan areas, according to data from the White House Covid-19 Team
Nationally, B.1.1.7 accounted for approximately 44% of the samples collected between March 14 and March 27, and B.1.526 accounted for approximately 6% of the samples, according to data published by the CDC.