Yet another state has identified its first case of the most contagious coronavirus variant known as B.1.1.7 that was first discovered in the UK last year.
Louisiana health officials announced over the weekend the first case of the mutation in the state, which was identified “in an individual in the Greater New Orleans area”.
No further details were provided.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has asked state residents to “double” effective mitigation measures, now that the state has identified its first case of the variant.
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“It was always a matter of time before this new strain of the virus arrived in Louisiana, which is why our state health experts have been monitoring cases and working with [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] prepare. There is no such thing as taking it too seriously, “he continued.
“Our number of cases and hospitalizations is increasing daily and deaths from COVID have reached an alarming rate. I beg everyone to wear a mask, avoid people and places that do not comply with the mask’s mandate, social distance, wash your hands often and don’t go around anyone if you are sick. Even with available vaccines, controlling our behavior with measures that have been proven to help keep us safe is our best defense against the spread of the virus to our family, friends and across our communities. “
More than a dozen states across the country have identified cases of the variant, with Colorado being the first. It has since been found in New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Indiana, among others. Last week, Minnesota health officials announced five cases of strain B.1.1.7.
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A continuous list of where the mutation was identified in the country can be found here.
The recently said that more than 50 cases of the mutated coronavirus strain have been identified in the United States, and experts warned that the variant is probably already widespread across the country. That number has already exceeded 70 cases, although federal health officials have warned that the true total is likely to be greater than the reported numbers.
Although the strain is considered to be more transmissible than COVID-19, experts are confident that existing coronavirus vaccines will work against the variant.