The first American case of the UK strain was discovered last month in Colorado.
“It is a variant with specific mutations that was described in the UK in mid-December,” said Dr Ramon Lorenzo Redondo, a virologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It has taken over the epidemic only in the UK.”
Governor JB Pritzker gives the latest news on COVID-19 in Illinois
Redondo is part of a team of scientists at Northwestern University who have been following samples of COVID-19. Of 200 recent patients, he said they have found one with the UK variant.
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This finding has prompted state officials to warn once again of the need to maintain precautions, as the UK variant is believed to be more contagious. However, doctors do not believe it can cause more serious illnesses or be more deadly.
“Early studies show that this variant spreads more easily and more quickly,” said Illinois chief physician Ngozi Ezike. “So if we don’t continue to wear masks, keep an eye on distance and avoid meetings, this new variant could spread across the state as it crossed the UK.”
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“We need to stay vigilant if we want to keep our progress going,” Governor JB Pritzker added. “Honestly, it’s up to each of us to keep our schools open and see an economic recovery that restores jobs and businesses. We need to wear a mask that limits interactions with people outside our home and that vaccinate us when it’s time. our turn “.
Redondo said current vaccines are expected to be effective against the UK variant, but warns that now is the time to reduce the spread.
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“That’s why it’s so important to lower the numbers,” he said. “Not because this virus is more serious, but we don’t want to give it more chances to adapt and improve the infection.”
The discovery of the variant in Chicago occurs when the overall number of deaths from COVID-19 exceeds 2 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The milestone was reached just over a year after COVID-19 was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
It took eight months to reach one million deaths and less than four months after reaching the next million.
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