TALLAHASSEE, Florida (WCTV) – A new wrinkle in the fight against COVID-19 has appeared: a more contagious variant of the virus has been found in Florida.
So, what does this mean for you at home?
Medical experts say this variant originated abroad, but is spreading rapidly across the globe.
Dr. Christie Alexander of WCTV said she was not surprised to learn that this mutation reached Florida, given what she heard about its transmissibility.
On Thursday, health officials in Martin County confirmed that this variant originating in the United Kingdom was detected in a COVID-19 positive patient.
Dr. Alexander says the virus is not proving to be more lethal than what we saw, but that it is another wake-up call to keep wearing masks, avoiding large gatherings and social distance.
She also said that medical experts hope to see this difficult virus mutate during the pandemic.
“Mutations with viruses occur all the time, we see that with the common cold, even the flu virus, it is very common for viruses to mutate. We just haven’t seen one that is a functional mutation until now, ”said Alexander.
Good news at the beginning is that experts believe the COVID-19 vaccine will still provide protection against this new variant.
Dr. Alexander says the biggest concern is the speed of transmission that may be overwhelming hospitals, so we’ll keep an eye on what happens.
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