Georgia becomes the FIFTH state with Super-COVID, as California reports 32 cases: the highly contagious British strain spreads rapidly from coast to coast when the 18-year-old, with no travel history, was recently diagnosed
- The new variant is between 50% and 70% more transmissible, according to scientists
- Georgians are heading to the polls on Tuesday to hold Senate elections with large turnout
- The chain’s first U.S. case was reported at a nursing home in Colorado
- Since then it has also been discovered in New York, Florida and California
- 32 cases of the variant were reported in San Diego on Tuesday
- The ‘mutant’ variant of the virus that began sweeping across the UK late last year forced Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce a third blockade on Monday
Georgia on Tuesday announced its first case of the COVID-19 ‘mutant’ strain.
The virus is said to have been found in an 18-year-old boy with no travel history. Georgia joins New York, California, Colorado and Florida in all reporting cases.
The new variant is between 50% and 70% more transmissible, according to scientists.
Georgians cast high-turnout final votes Tuesday in the election to determine the balance of power in the new Congress, and decided that second Senate elections will shape the ability of President-elect Joe Biden to enact what could be the agenda of the most progressive government of generations.
The chain’s first U.S. case was reported last week at a remote residence in Colorado. Since then it has also been discovered in other parts of the state, as well as in New York, Florida and California.
On Tuesday, San Diego reported 32 cases of the variant, reaching a total of 37 cases in the United States. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health official, said, “The fact that these cases have been identified in various parts of the region shows that this strain of the virus could spread quickly.”
The ‘mutant’ variant of the virus that began sweeping across the UK late last year, causing an increase in cases and forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce a third national blockade on Monday.
The chain’s first U.S. case was reported last week at a remote residence in Colorado. It has since been discovered elsewhere in the state, as well as in New York, Georgia, Florida and California, with at least 37 people now infected.
The mutant strain was picked up the same day voters went to vote in Georgia. Voters appear on Sara Smith Elementary voting committee in Buckhead district on January 5, 2021 in Atlanta during Georgia’s second round election
Katheen E. Toomey, DPH Commissioner of Georgia, said, “The emergence of this variant in our state should be a wake-up call for all Georgians.”
In San Diego, 24 people recently confirmed with viruses are said to have no travel history and come from 19 different households.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo identified him Tuesday the New York patient Monday as a jewelry worker in Saratoga Springs, who is in his sixties. The man showed symptoms of COVID-19, but is “ready.”
He said the state is testing three more possible cases of the strain in Saratoga; it takes up to 44 hours to do genome sequencing to detect the variant.
Like the first American case of the Colorado variant, the man had no history of recent travel, suggesting a community outbreak.
The CDC believes the strain first emerged in the UK in September and said last week that it suspects it has been circulating in the US for some time.
The strain is believed to be 50 to 70 percent more transmissible, but not more deadly.
The new variant of the UK virus is no more deadly, but is about 50 per cent more infectious. This graph from different regions of the UK shows the degree of infection of the new super-COVID strain compared to other virus variants
The Empire State had previously become the fourth place in the country to detect the “mutant” variant of the virus.
Cuomo appeared on Tuesday to back down on calls from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to ban all flights from the UK to the United States.
The governor asked the federal government to start applying mandatory testing to all international passengers arriving in the United States, as they already do with travelers from the United Kingdom.
De-Blasio had urged the Trump administration to “stop the madness” and block all travel to and from Britain to help stop any further spread of the new super-infectious variant of the UK virus.
It has now been reported in the UK that around one in 50 residents (or approximately one million people) now has coronavirus.
In light of the increase, as of December 28, the CDC began demanding that all airline passengers arriving from Britain, including U.S. citizens, give a negative COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure. Unless you are a dual citizen or traveling for essential purposes, most Britons are barred from entering the US.
Currently, the UK is also facing a second mutant strain of the virus, originally from South Africa, which experts fear could be resistant to vaccines and potentially more deadly.
This strain has not yet been detected in the US.
