Although it has become the dominant variant in several parts of the UK, the most contagious new strain of coronavirus has only been confirmed in the United States less than a week ago. The first confirmed case was of a man in his 20s in Colorado on December 28, the second was a 30-year-old man in California on December 30, and the most recent was a man in his 20s in Florida in December 31th. While it is clear that these cases share some superficial similarities – they are all between men in their 20s and 30s – there is another more subtle factor that they share that indicates how widespread the new variant is: None of them has travel history.
When San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher revealed that his California county had a confirmed case of the new strain, known as B.1.1.7., he said: “Since there is no travel history, we believe that this is not an isolated case in San Diego County.” And frankly, it’s probably not just the three states that confirmed cases. The fact that none of these patients were directly in the UK – or in any of the other 30 countries where the variant was found – means that it is likely that the new strain is already spreading across the country. It seems that the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, MD, was right when you said about Good Morning America on December 22, “You really need to assume that he’s already here … I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already here.”
Read on to learn more about the new strain and how it can affect you, and to learn more about what the country’s most important health agency says, check out the CDC that just issued this warning about the new COVID strain.
Read the original article at Better life.
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It is confirmed that it is more contagious than the current dominant strain.
On December 31, researchers at Imperial College London released a study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, on variant B.1.1.7 and found that it is actually more transmissible than the previous dominant strain of the virus. According Forbes, this means that a person with COVID-19 caused by the B.1.1.7 strain will likely transmit it to more people than if they had another variant. “These analyzes, which informed the UK government’s planning in recent weeks, show that the new variant of concern, B.1.1.7, has substantially higher transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the Kingdom United”. Neil Ferguson, PhD, one of the Imperial College London scientists involved in the study, said in a statement.
“This will make control more difficult and further accentuate the urgency to implant vaccination as soon as possible,” added Ferguson, who is also a member of the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group (NERVTAG). And for signs that you may be sick, check out These are the first most common signs that you have COVID, Study Finds.
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It is more likely to infect children and adolescents than previous strains.
Although children have been less affected by COVID than adults so far, the new variant may change that. “There is an indication that he is more likely to infect children,” Ferguson told reporters during a news conference on December 21. “We need to gather more data to see how it works going forward. Seen over a period of five or six weeks … [is that] the variant in children under 15 was statistically significantly larger than the non-variant virus. “And for more updates on COVID, subscribe to our daily newsletter.
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But if you’ve had COVID, you probably haven’t been infected with the new strain.
During a live broadcast on December 30 with the Governor of California Gavin Newsom, Fauci explained that people who have already been infected with COVID appear to be safe from getting the new strain. “What they noticed in the UK is that people who have been infected [by the previously dominant strain] it doesn’t seem to be reinfected so [mutation], which means that the immunity that is provided to you when you are infected protects against that specific strain, “explained Fauci. And for a symptom that indicates you might have already had COVID, check If you have this subtle symptom, you can I already had COVID.
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The new vaccines will also protect you against this strain.
Many people were concerned that the recently released COVID Moderna and Pfizer vaccines would no longer be able to protect them from the new variant, but health experts were quick to assure the public that vaccines already administered are still effective. “[The B.1.1.7 variant] it doesn’t seem to escape the protection afforded by antibodies introduced by vaccines, “Fauci told Newsom. And for more vaccine news, see These 2 States are against the CDC’s vaccine recommendations.
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It is no more dangerous or deadly than the current dominant lineage.
Yes, the new coronavirus strain spreads more easily, but the good news is that it does not appear to be more harmful or fatal. “It seems very clear from the UK group that, in fact, the transmissibility of the virus is more efficient than the transmission of the standard virus we have been dealing with so far. That is, it can only bind to receptors on cells better and therefore is better transmitted, “said Fauci during his discussion with Newsom. But, he added,” there is no indication that it increases virulence, and by virulence, I mean the ability to make you sick or kill you. It doesn’t seem to make you stronger in that regard. “And to get a signal that you have a serious case of the virus, check out This rare symptom could mean that you have a serious case of COVID.
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You are already protecting yourself against the new variant by following common health practices.
Just because there is a slightly different version of the virus spreading, it doesn’t mean that you need to change the precautionary measures you’ve been taking since March. “The things we talk about all the time, we just need to make sure we do it,” said Fauci Newsweek on December 29 of the new strain. “Wearing masks, keeping distances, avoiding crowded environments, doing things outdoors more than indoors, washing your hands often – these are the things that prevent any virus, regardless of whether it mutates or not.” And for the only health measure you can postpone, check out The only thing you can stop doing to avoid COVID, according to doctors.