Two cases of a COVID-19 variant first discovered in South Africa have been detected in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday. The cases were detected in Alameda and Santa Clara counties, Newsom said while speaking in Fresno County. “The issue of mutations is top of mind,” Newsom said from the site of The Big Fresno Fair. Over the weekend, health officials in South Africa announced a temporary hold on the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after a study suggested it offered “minimal protection” against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 due to the variant, the University of Oxford said. That yet-unpublished study included a relatively small number of people who were young and healthy on the whole. It was not able to measure how effective the vaccine was against severe disease, hospitalization or death.Newsom also said Wednesday that there were also 159 cases of the U.K. variant detected in the state and 1,203 West Coast variants. Some hecklers could be heard during a livestream of Newsom’s briefing yelling “recall Gavin.” This story is developing. Check back for updates. –CNN contributed to this story.
Two cases of a COVID-19 variant first discovered in South Africa have been detected in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday.
The cases were detected in Alameda and Santa Clara counties, Newsom said while speaking in Fresno County.
“The issue of mutations is top of mind,” Newsom said from the site of The Big Fresno Fair.
Over the weekend, health officials in South Africa announced a temporary hold on the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after a study suggested it offered “minimal protection” against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 due to the variant, the University of Oxford said.
That yet-unpublished study included a relatively small number of people who were young and healthy on the whole. It was not able to measure how effective the vaccine was against severe disease, hospitalization or death.
Newsom also said Wednesday that there were also 159 cases of the U.K. variant detected in the state and 1,203 West Coast variants.
Some hecklers could be heard during a livestream of Newsom’s briefing yelling “recall Gavin.”
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
–CNN contributed to this story.