Highly contagious COVID19 variant has spread to all 50 US states, alarming experts about new wave

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill


Highly contagious COVID-19 variant has now spread to all 50 US states, alarming experts about new wave

People should continue following public health protocols, experts say.

By Christian Spencer | April 6, 2021

Story at a glance:

This contagious version was in the U.S and U.K. as early as October.

Some 15,000 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been reported in the U.S.

From the U.K., the new variant quickly spread into at least 15 countries from tourists.

The highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first found in the U.K. has now been identified in every U.S. state and has been spreading in the U.S. since October. More than 15,000 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been reported in the U.S. The variant may be more deadly than the original strain of COVID-19, experts warn.

In the United Kingdom, scientists discovered the B.1.1.7 variant in early December.

“By the time we learned about the U.K. variant in December, it was already silently spreading across the globe,” Lauren Ancel Meyers, the director of the COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at The University of Texas at Austin and a professor of integrative biology, said. “We estimate that the B117 variant probably arrived in the U.S. by October of 2020, two months before we knew it existed.”

Scientists recently analyzed data from 15 countries to estimate the likelihood of visitors from the U.K. spreading the variant. The result was that the virus indeed was reported in all 15 countries by mid-November.

Read more: https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/546691-highly-contagious-covid-19-variant-has-now

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Go for the anti-vaxxers

They don't fear you.

[nuxvomica]

2. The vaccines are effective against this variant, correct?

I've read that the vaccines have been found to be effective against the "UK variant" but the report I read doesn't specify that to be B117.

[stopdiggin]

4. correct

South African variant designated B.1.351, Brazilian P.1
And studies with current vaccines are modestly optimistic about effectiveness with the newer variants. i.e. good overall effectiveness (although perhaps a small percentage less) against infection, and even greater effectiveness in preventing serious disease outcome. (caveat: J&J perhaps not quite so good on first measure?) Length/period of protection offered by antibodies (both natural and vaccine induced) is still largely undetermined (and will probably end up being expressed as some sort of 'range' of protection/effectiveness).

Superlative work so far -- but this thing is going to be keeping the community on their toes for a while.

[nuxvomica]

5. Thank you

[BlueStater]

3. I'm getting my second shot soon and should be fully vaccinated by early May.

I’ll still double mask while in stores, but the days of me avoiding everyone like they’re lepers are coming to a merciful end. Thank god.

[appalachiablue]

7. Still hand wash when appropriate

[ffr]

8. You and many of my family members are on the same timeline

No letting up on safety at least until our bodies build up immunity to the first variant. My days of empathy for those who choose not to be vaccinated however are through and over with. May the virus have it's way with all of them until the virus ends its rein of terror due to lack of a food source.

[IronLionZion]

6. I would continue masking and social distancing

even after getting fully vaccinated, and I would especially keep steering clear of conservatives long term.

[jcgoldie]

9. "keep steering clear of conservatives..."

...Sound advice even in the absence of pandemic.

[IronLionZion]

10. There is bound to be political implications

as conservative areas are disproportionately spreading this virus around while rejecting guidelines.

[BadgerKid]

13. Well, the last 40 years

Seems like a pandemic that keeps on giving. Thanks to our *cough* friends across the aisle.

[FlyingPiggy]

11. Good thing both Pfizer and moderna vaccines are protective from it

[tanyev]

12. I fear some who just had to go to the Texas Rangers opening game will learn that the hard way.

[Curtis]

14. Ugh

My wife and I have been pretty much stranded in Grenada since the beginning of the entire COVID ordeal. We usually spend 6 months here on a sailboat and 6 months in California. We've been here since Feb 2020.

First the lockdown and no traveling (lockdown was serious here). Then her family has been putting pressure on her to fly home in the middle of the worst when they had evacuation flights from Grenada where people actually got sick on the way back to the states. Then finally everyone leaving us alone after I stood up to her family and explained how her medical condition with a stroke 25 years ago and her prolapsed mitral valve with other issues due to the stroke along with my having been in an explosion in 2009 which damaged my lungs to the point I get pneumonia with just bad hay fever. After months of arguments and such with her family and with her in general, we are looking to go up to Puerto Rico and get vaccinated so we can TRY to return to California (it's what she wants).

Then all this about the variants. Sure I'm sick of all of it, but at the same time, I am concerned about both of our health issues and getting sick even with a vaccine on board (hello Gov of Montana). I am so sick of all of this. It has been a major strain on my relationship and sanity. Sometimes I feel like I should just do everything she wants and if I get sick and die, well I get sick and die. It would sure make her family happy it seems

[róisín_dubh]

15. I can't wait to fly back to England...

on Saturday. Fully vaccinated.
I live in a place with no restrictions. Way to go, WV.