CA officials reveal more details about local coronavirus mutation



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California officials on Monday revealed more details of the new local coronavirus strain that may be partly responsible for a sharp rise in cases and deaths in the state.

Two research groups discovered the B1429 variant while researching the highly contagious B117 variant which has been linked to the UK, officials said at a press conference.

The California mutation – which is said to be in the same “family tree” as the UK variant – has now been reported in 456 cases across the Golden State, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

But the governor warned that the actual number of cases is likely much higher.

About a quarter of viral samples collected late last year in Los Angeles and northern California by two different groups contained the new strain, according to the LA Times.

Newsom said the state is still working to see if the B1429 strain leads to more serious infections.

“We’re still working on, is this a COVID variant unique to California? Or is it something else? Again, we’re still working on this. We are working through its virulence, we are working through its transmissibility to investigate more understanding, ”said the Democratic governor.

Health officials are still in the process of determining whether the new variant is more contagious than the regular strain, like its UK counterpart.

“We fear that [B1429] attaches itself to the human cell a little more than the natural virus we are dealing with. This could make it more contagious, we’re not sure yet, we’re looking at it, ”said Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health and Human Services, speaking on April 1, 2020.
Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health and Human Services, speaking on April 1, 2020.
AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File

Cases have recently increased, while 35% of the 37,121 deaths from coronavirus in California occurred in the past month, according to Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

Ghaly said a combination of vacation travel and the new variant’s “curve” could be to blame.

“Look, I grew up and played sports all my life, [it] really depended on trying to understand my opponent, ”said Ghaly.

“We have an opponent that we’ve never seen before. We don’t have a COVID-19 game movie, we don’t know what it’s going to do, so we have to constantly watch the plays of the day to understand what’s going to happen tomorrow.

Despite the warnings, Newsom on Monday lifted the stay-at-home state order, which had been imposed last month

Officials say it’s not clear whether a new vaccine is needed to fight the B1429 strain, but urge Californians to continue getting vaccinated with current vaccines.

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