Two coronavirus variants that are thought to be more transmissible or resistant to vaccines than their predecessors were first found in Los Angeles County. According to health officials, it should be important to take steps to stop the transmission of the virus.
Through sample analysis over the past week, local public health officials have identified one case of B.1.351, also called the South African variant, and three cases of P.1, a mutation first identified in Brazil.
Both are one of five “variants of concern” identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
‘Although these are the first cases reported on the South African and Brazilian variant in LA County, there are probably still unmarked and undiagnosed cases, because … very few of our specimens actually undergo this kind of sequence around the type of variant to determine. “” Barbara Ferrer, director of public health, said on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, she said “identifying these variants underscores the need for LA County residents to continue to do everything in our power to take measures to protect ourselves and others.”
“This includes wearing a mask, maintaining at least six feet distance from others who are not in our household, and vaccinating COVID-19 as soon as it is available,” she said.
Across the country, 37 cases of the P.1 variant and 14 cases of B.1.351 have been identified so far, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.
Of the 70 total samples recently tested in the LA County Public Health Laboratory, 42 are another relevant variant – B.1.1.7, from the United Kingdom. An additional 13 was the California variant, known to scientists as B.1.427 / B.1.429.
“Although the samples that are consecutive are not randomly selected, the increase in the percentage of variants is likely to correlate with the increased circulation of the known variants,” Ferrer said.
The British variant is of particular concern, as it is thought to be as much as 50% more transmissible than others widely distributed, and there is evidence to suggest that it is also more likely to cause serious illness or death.
According to CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, B.1.1.7 is now the most common coronavirus strain circulating nationwide.
‘The virus still has [a] “we are holding on – infecting people and making them angry – and we must remain vigilant,” she said during an information session on Wednesday. ‘And two, we must continue to accelerate our vaccination efforts and take the individual responsibility to be vaccinated whenever we can. We need to recognize the high risk of infection in areas with high community transmission. I encourage communities to consider adjustments to meet their unique needs and circumstances. ”
Many officials now characterize the nationwide battle against COVID-19 as a race between vaccines and variants – with a rapid, widespread key to vaccination, not only to eventually end the pandemic, but to reduce the spread of the virus and its opportunities to mutate further in the near term.
‘We still have to keep our number of cases very low to stop circulating [the] virus, to stop the emergence of variants, to stop hospitalizations and eventually to stop deaths, ”Walensky said.
But there are warning signs.
After a strong and steady decline following the fall and winter boom, the US has seen an increase in new coronavirus infections.
The CDC data show that the latest nationwide seven-day average for reported cases was 63,407, up 13% from two weeks ago.
However, these increases are not uniform. While some states in New England and the Middle East are grappling with anxiously high cases, others – including California – are seeing rates remain relatively low.
According to the CDC, California’s latest seven-day new business figure of 44 per 100,000 people a day is the third lowest among all states and significantly lower than the nationwide rate of 133.7.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said the nationwide caseload had stuck “at an alarmingly high level”. ‘
“If you’re on the level, there’s a risk you’ll get a resurgence, ‘he told CNN in an interview on Wednesday. ‘As we look at it now, it’s almost a race between people to get vaccinated and this boom that apparently wants to increase and do what’s going on, for example in Europe where they now have some increases really quite worrying. ”
However, the number of people dying from COVID-19 is still declining nationwide.
The rate of vaccination of vaccines is also promising. Nationwide, 33.1% of all Americans have so far received at least one vaccine dose, and 19.4% have been fully vaccinated, CDC data show.
“Our vaccination now is between three and four million people a day,” Fauci said.
But, as he noted, many people still have to roll up their sleeves, so Americans need to “hang in there a little longer.”
“This is not the time, as I have said so many times, to declare victory prematurely,” he said. “There’s still a big risk we have to get by.”