Los Angeles County scientists began examining samples of COVID-19 found in patients to determine whether a new, more infectious strain of the virus from Britain made it to the west coast of the United States
The new strain is of particular concern, given the ease with which it spreads from person to person, although it is unclear whether it is more lethal than the chain that has been spreading for months.
LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published on Friday that a public health laboratory is conducting gene sequencing to test virus samples.
“When I spoke to the state Department of Public Health, they indicated that they were looking for and did not think they had seen” the new strain, Ferrer said. “But you know, you have to know what you’re looking for. So, I think everyone at the moment who is seeing these types of outbreaks is obviously looking to see: ‘Do we have this particular variant?’ “
The comments come at a time when the county sees an increase in cases. More than 13,600 new cases were reported on Thursday alone, and 148 people died that day.
“It happened in a devastating and fast way. Everyone I talked to said that this acceleration was beyond any model and any expectation, so people ask ‘What broke?’ and I have to think that it’s part of the tension that existed ”, Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti
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The increase in cases coincided with concerns about a strain of the virus that is devastating the UK, which has implemented severe restrictions in large areas of the country to try to keep its outbreak under control.
A study by the Center for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the strain is 56 percent more contagious than the original strain, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that the strain may already be circulating in the USA