A new variant of the new coronavirus that is believed to be more communicable is now being singled out as the possible culprit behind a coronavirus outbreak at a hospital in Vancouver, Washington, which left dozens of patients sick.
A coronavirus outbreak at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in December began with a patient who initially tested negative on admission, before testing positive days later, The Oregonian reported.
Since then, at least 30 cases of coronavirus have been reported among patients and hospital staff.
As of Monday, 56 health workers remained in quarantine because of 11 confirmed cases among employees.
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Dr. Lawrence Neville, medical director of the PeaceHealth Columbia Network, said on Monday that officials are not ruling out the new coronavirus variant – B.1.1.7 – behind the outbreak.
The variant was recently discovered in the UK and is considered more transmissible than COVID-19 – but, as of now, it is no longer considered more virulent or resistant to vaccines and treatment.
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Neville, according to The Oregonian, said PeaceHealth sent samples to determine whether the outbreak was actually caused by the new variant, noting that “it is not impossible”.
It will take 10 to 14 days to receive the results, which can determine whether Washington is yet another state to discover the new variant, which has already been found in Colorado, Florida, California and, starting this Monday, in New York.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.