The COVID variant that was discovered in the United Kingdom around December has now reached the state of Florida. This new variant of the COVID virus is far more infectious and transmissible than the predecessor and is reaching all parts of the state, but most of the cases are located in the South Florida region. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) there are currently 433 cases of the U.K. variant, or also known as B.1.1.7, in Florida. This rise of this new variant comes at a time where the COVID-19 numbers for the state started to fall but it is possible that this new more transmissible strain will cause the numbers to rise once again.
Photo provided by The Associated Press.
What we know so far about this new variant is that the virus started to spread quickly throughout England causing a surge of positive results in the southeastern part of the country. It was because of this that scientists and other public health officials started to look into the rise of cases in the country, and thus learning about the new variant known B.1.1.7. As of last month, it’s been recorded that B.1.1.7 has been reported in 52 different countries around the globe and the United States. Though, according to the CDC and WHO, there is no evidence yet that this new strain causes a more severe illness than the other strains, all there is to know that this variant is more transmissible than the others and that is what makes it dangerous.
B.1.1.7, provided by NIAID.
We need to play our part in controlling the spread of this virus, just because the symptoms are the same as before, this doesn’t mean that the virus can be joked around with. The more spread and cases of these new variants lead to more deaths and that is why it is important to slow down the spread of the virus. The CDC also recommends wearing double masks when heading out of the house (one surgical or medical mask and one fabric mask), still practicing social distancing by staying 6 feet apart from others even if they are wearing a mask, and to avoid crowds as much as possible.
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