A new variant of the coronavirus has been linked to at least 90 infections during a deadly outbreak at a medical center in San Jose, California

• A new variant of the coronavirus is linked to a deadly outbreak of COVID-19 at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. The epidemic has resulted in at least 90 infections and one death.

• The variant called L452R was discovered in other countries and states last year.

• This is different from another more transmissible variant that was first discovered in the UK.

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A new variant of the coronavirus has been linked to several outbreaks in Santa Clara County, located southeast of San Francisco. One of the outbreaks has resulted in at least 90 infections and one death at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Jose, public health officials said.

The variant known as L452R has been discovered in other states and countries, but is now spreading rapidly across California. This is different from the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first found in the UK.

“The fact that this variant has been identified in several large outbreaks in our county is a red flag and needs to be investigated further,” said Dr Sara Cody, County Health Officer of Santa Clara, in a statement. “This virus continues to mutate and adapt, and we cannot let our guard down.”

California is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local public health departments and laboratory sequencing partners to learn more about the variant and its spread, according to the joint statement from the California Department of Public Health, Santa Clara County , and the University of California at San Francisco.

Read also: Biden’s new chief of staff says administration is ready to tackle ‘huge mess’ it inherits from COVID-19 vaccine rollout

“It’s too early to know if this variant will spread faster than others, but it certainly reinforces the need for all Californians to wear masks and to reduce mixing with people outside their immediate homes to help. slow the spread of the virus, “Dr Erica Pan, state epidemiologist for the CRPD, said.

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The statement said the variant is linked to the Kaiser Permanente outbreak, which resulted in the death of a staff member. County health officials have fined the medical center $ 43,000 for alleged delays in reporting cases, NBC reported. The establishment denied the delay.

The cases are said to be linked to an employee who wore an inflatable costume on Christmas to boost patient morale. The ventilator in the “compressed air suit” could have sprayed droplets on 77 staff and 15 patients.

This variant has been found in several other counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, however, its prevalence in the state or country is not yet known as genomic sequencing is not performed equally across the board. ‘State.

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