DENVER (AP) – The Colorado medical director says that two highly contagious COVID-19 strains, more difficult to detect and more resistant to treatment, may represent 30% of coronavirus cases in the state.
The strains, dubbed the California variant and the United Kingdom variant, can also cause more serious illnesses, says Dr. Eric France.
Colorado Politics reports that France says state officials are randomly testing hundreds of positive samples for COVID to find the variants. The state extrapolated the initial conclusions to arrive at the estimate of 30%.
Strains are named where they were first detected – Great Britain and California, respectively. The UK variant occupied hospital beds in Italy and elsewhere. The California strain was detected in the fall and is now prevalent in that state, as well as in New Mexico and Arizona.
On Friday, Colorado is entering a new stage in its vaccination plan, in which people aged 50 and over, restaurant employees and people aged 16 and older with underlying health problems can receive vaccines.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that go away in two to three weeks. For some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more serious illnesses, including pneumonia and death.
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