A MORE CONTAGIOUS VARIANT HAS MADE ITS WAY TO STANISLAUS COUNTY. HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY SO FAR ONLY ONE CASE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. BUT, THEY WANT FAMILIES TO KNOW, THAT THIS IS THE TIME TO BE EVEN MORE VIGILANT. GULSTAN: KCRA 3’S KAY RECEDE SPOKE TO A WOMAN WHO RECOVERED FROM THE VIRUS, AND SHARES THE STEPS SHE AND OTHER FAMILIES ARE RECOMMENDED TO TAKE. THIS IS — AND 2020, FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE AS WELL AS HER UNBORN SON’S. >> I THINK MY WHOLE WORLD JUST DROPPED WHEN THEY TOLD ME YOU WERE POSITIVE FOR COVID. >> I WAS 28 AND PREGNANT. >> IT TOOK MONTHS FOR THE TURLOCK MOTHER TO RECOVER AND EVEN LONGER BEFORE SHE GOT TO MEET HER BABY. >> IT WAS HARD WAKING KNOWING HE WAS BORN AND I WAS UNAWARE. >> SINCE THEN, SHE AND HER FAMILY ADAPTED NEW SAFETY MEASURES TO PROTECT HERSELF AND HER FAMILY. >> LET’S PROTECT EACH OTHER. >> EXTRA CAREFUL, ESPECIALLY WITH A MORE DANGEROUS VARIANT FIRST FOUND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. >> WITH THIS NEW STRAIN AND HOW QUICKLY IT CAN SPREAD, IT IS HARD. >> NOW IN STANISLAUS COUNTY. >> IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME WHEN THESE VARIANTS GOT TROUBLING TO OTHER COUNTIES AROUND US. >> SHE SAYS SO FAR, THE VARIANT B117 WHICH RESEARCH’S SUGGESTS COULD LEAD TO A HIGHER RISK OF DYING HAS BEEN DETECTED IN ONE CASE. >> THE STRAIN IS KNOWN TO SPREAD FASTER. THE SERIOUS OF THE DISEASE TENDS TO BE HIGHER. >> SHE RECOMMENDS FAMILIES MASK UP AND A DISTANCE. >> AVOID GATHERINGS, MAINTAIN YOUR PHYSICAL DISTANCE. >> AS WELL AS VACCINATE IF AND WHEN THEY CAN. AS FOR — SHE SAYS SH DOES NOT TAKE CHANCES WHEN IT COMES TO HER FAMILY’S HEALTH. >> I AM JUST HAPPY. I’M REALLY HAPPY YOU GET TO APPRECIATE THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE. >> KAY RECEDE, KCRA3 NEWS. GULSTAN: HEALTH OFFICIALS AT SINCE THE VARIANT HAS BEEN FOUND, THEY HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO SEE MAY BE LINKED TO THIS IF ANY CASES MAY BE LINKED TO THIS VARIANT. SHE SAYS HOSPITALIZATIONS DID GO UP LAST WEEK. EDIE: HEALTH LEADERS HAVE SAID, VACCINATIONS ARE KEY TO KEEPING NEW VARIANTS FROM SHOWING UP AND SPREADING. THE U.S. IS CLOSING IN ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’S GOAL OF 100 MILLION VACCINATIONS, AHEAD OF SCHEDU
‘This pandemic is not over’: COVID-19 variant first seen in UK is detected in Stanislaus County
The first known case of an apparently more contagious COVID-19 variant first seen in the United Kingdom has been confirmed in Stanislaus County.”The detection of the B.1.1.7 variant in Stanislaus County is a sobering reminder that this pandemic is not over,” Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, Stanislaus County’s public health officer, said in a statement on Thursday. “The best way to prevent this variant from spreading, and prevent more variants from developing, is to stop the virus from circulating in the community. It is vital that everyone, even people that have been vaccinated, continue to follow recommendations that prevent the spread of disease, which include testing, masking, distancing, and getting the vaccine when it is your turn.”Kamlesh Kaur with the county’s public health department said it was “just a matter of time” that the variant arrived in Stanislaus County and surrounding counties, “This particular strain is known to spread faster and the seriousness of the disease tends to be higher,” she said. Recent research suggests the variant could be tied to a higher risk of dying from COVID-19.The B.1.1.7 variant has now been found in more than 70 countries and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has projected it will become the dominant variant in the U.S. But Stanislaus County’s release noted that studies also suggest that Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines all provide strong protection against the B.1.1.7. variant. According to state data, there have been 265 cases of the variant detected in California, as of March 11. The B.1.1.7 variant has already been found in Southern California, the Bay Area, and Davis. It’s just one of several variants that health officials are tracking. More than 6,620 cases of two California variants known as the “West Coast Strain” have been detected in the state. | MORE from the CDC | US COVID-19 cases caused by variantsThe CDC has labeled the West Coast Strain as “variants of concern.” The variants may be about 20% more transmissible, the agency said citing early research, and some treatments may also be less effective against the strains. The CDC did not say that vaccines would stop working against them.”It’s going to be a close call,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN Tuesday about the risk of variants leading to another surge in COVID-19 cases. “We are vaccinating really well, that’s the good news. These variants are spreading pretty quickly across the country, that’s the bad news.”| More | COVID-19 vaccine in Stanislaus County: Where to find the latest info–CNN contributed to this story
The first known case of an apparently more contagious COVID-19 variant first seen in the United Kingdom has been confirmed in Stanislaus County.
“The detection of the B.1.1.7 variant in Stanislaus County is a sobering reminder that this pandemic is not over,” Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, Stanislaus County’s public health officer, said in a statement on Thursday. “The best way to prevent this variant from spreading, and prevent more variants from developing, is to stop the virus from circulating in the community. It is vital that everyone, even people that have been vaccinated, continue to follow recommendations that prevent the spread of disease, which include testing, masking, distancing, and getting the vaccine when it is your turn.”
Kamlesh Kaur with the county’s public health department said it was “just a matter of time” that the variant arrived in Stanislaus County and surrounding counties,
“This particular strain is known to spread faster and the seriousness of the disease tends to be higher,” she said.
Recent research suggests the variant could be tied to a higher risk of dying from COVID-19.
The B.1.1.7 variant has now been found in more than 70 countries and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has projected it will become the dominant variant in the U.S.
But Stanislaus County’s release noted that studies also suggest that Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines all provide strong protection against the B.1.1.7. variant.
According to state data, there have been 265 cases of the variant detected in California, as of March 11. The B.1.1.7 variant has already been found in Southern California, the Bay Area, and Davis.
It’s just one of several variants that health officials are tracking. More than 6,620 cases of two California variants known as the “West Coast Strain” have been detected in the state.
| MORE from the CDC | US COVID-19 cases caused by variants
The CDC has labeled the West Coast Strain as “variants of concern.” The variants may be about 20% more transmissible, the agency said citing early research, and some treatments may also be less effective against the strains. The CDC did not say that vaccines would stop working against them.
“It’s going to be a close call,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN Tuesday about the risk of variants leading to another surge in COVID-19 cases. “We are vaccinating really well, that’s the good news. These variants are spreading pretty quickly across the country, that’s the bad news.”
| More | COVID-19 vaccine in Stanislaus County: Where to find the latest info
–CNN contributed to this story