California’s coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous
The coronavirus has continuously evolved and mutated as it has weaved its way throughout the globe. For Los Angeles, they can now say that they have their own strain of the deadly virus, and there is speculation that not only is it more contagious, it may also be resistant to vaccinations.
According to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn, the variant has spread across the United States and around the globe.
The La Times is reporting that the variant is probably just as worrisome as the United Kingdom variant and that it will likely account for 90% of the state’s infections by the end of next month, an infectious diseases researcher and physician at UCSF.
“The devil is already here,” said Chiu, who led a team of geneticists, epidemiologists, statisticians, and other scientists in a wide-ranging analysis of the new variant, “I wish it were different. But the science is the science.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, currently, there are three new variants of COVID-19 causing concern for health experts.
The variants include A variant found in the United Kingdom, a variant found in South Africa, and a variant found in Brazil.
“The U.K. and California variants are each armed with enhanced capabilities, and the likelihood that they could circulate in the same population raises the specter of a return to spiking infections and deaths,” Chiu said.
“The new evidence shows that the California variant could make people sicker, and vaccines less effective, should spur more intensive efforts to drive down infections,” Chiu said. “Those should include both public health measures, such as masking and limits on public activities, and a campaign of rapid vaccinations,” he added.
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have said that both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines offer good protections against all new variants.
The CDC cautions that Viruses can’t mutate if they don’t replicate. Preventing viruses like Covid-19 from having the opportunity to replicate is vital, which means prevention of further people becoming infected.
They say that the best way that we can accomplish that goal is to take the precautionary measures that we’ve been using for the last year. Masking is effective, as is keeping physical distance from one another, especially when we’re indoors and in confined spaces as well as getting vaccinated.
