LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – While the Delta variant remains the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, health officials on Friday confirmed the presence of the new, highly contagious Mu variant, which is also described as highly contagious and potentially capable of evade vaccines.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it has so far detected 167 cases of the Mu variant, all between June 19 and August 21, with most of these infections discovered in July.
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Officially labeled by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest,” the Mu variant was found in Colombia in January. It has since been detected in 39 more countries. Initial reviews of the new strain suggest the potential to circumvent available vaccines, although county health officials said “more studies are needed to determine whether the Mu variant is more contagious, more lethal, or more resistant to the vaccine.” to treatments that other strains COVID-19 “.
On Thursday, Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said the Delta variant represents almost every case in the county that undergoes the necessary sequencing to identify specific viral mutations.
“Identifying variants like Mu and spreading variants around the world highlights the need for Los Angeles County residents to continue to take steps to protect themselves and others,” Ferrer said in a statement. Friday. “This is what makes vaccination and layer protection so important. These are actions that break the chain of transmission and limit the proliferation of COVID-19 that allows the virus to mutate into something that could be more dangerous. “
The county reported another 37 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the cumulative death toll from the virus to 25,401.
Another 2,673 cases were also confirmed, bringing the total pandemic to 1,414,854.
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Currently, there are also 1,641 people hospitalized for the coronavirus, according to the county.
Ferrer noted Thursday that the county has begun to see declining rates of new infections. According to Ferrer, the cumulative rate of new seven-day cases in the county was 159 per 100,000 residents this week, a 16% drop from last week and 22% less than the peak of 204 per 100,000 residents in the middle August.
“It’s important to keep in mind that we’re seeing fewer general transmissions, but because the Delta variant is so capable of infecting a lot of people, we still have a very high number of people infected,” Ferrer said Thursday. “And while you’re in Los Angeles County, look at our numbers and say we have tons and tons of people vaccinated … but we also have tons and tons of people who aren’t vaccinated, a really good reservoir for highly infectious variants.” .
The rate of positive virus data in the county rose Friday to 3.3%, from 2.97% the day before.
Among eligible county residents 12 years of age or older, 75% have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 65% are fully vaccinated.
Ferrer reaffirmed the effectiveness of vaccines, which of about 5.3 million residents who were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, 37,614 have tested positive for the virus, with a rate of 0.71%, while 1,049 have been hospitalized, a rate of 0.02%. . Of those fully vaccinated, 118 have died, with a rate of 0.0022%.
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(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The city’s news service contributed to this report).