BOSTON (WHDH) – The threat of a new and seemingly more contagious variant of the coronavirus is increasing concern in Massachusetts.
The variant, known as B117, has already been detected in Florida, Colorado and California.
Health experts across the country are tracking and monitoring potential spread.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says he does not want people to be frightened by the new variant, but to be alert.
“I don’t think Californians should think this is a strange thing,” he said after the variant was detected in the state. “This is something that is expected. We will probably see reports from other states. “
Doctors in Massachusetts say it shouldn’t be a surprise if the new strain is already circulating in the Bay State.
“It is not something that should induce panic, but it is something that people should take seriously,” explained Dr. Shira Doron, an epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center.
The variant was first discovered in the UK and health experts say it does not appear to be more deadly or cause more serious illness.
With the emergence of COVID-19 cases across the country, Doron says that everyone should remember the basics.
“Now is not the time to travel,” she said. “This is no time to be meeting with people outside your home. It is not the time to forget your masks, your hand hygiene. We have to do all these things really now, more than ever, knowing that we have a light at the end of the tunnel now. “
Nearly 80,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccines were administered in the state of Bahia on Tuesday, according to the state’s weekly vaccination report COVID-19.
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