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This is our daily update of the latest COVID-19 news for Monday, January 18, 2021. Previous daily updates can be found here, and updated statistics are here.
New York is in Phase 4 reopening now, which includes zoos, botanical gardens, museums, and gymnasiums. Citing rising hospitalization rates, Governor Andrew Cuomo indoor hanging dining room in New York starting December 14. After having been to close for several weeks, New York public schools partially reopened on December 7 for 3K-5 students, with the return of students with special needs on December 10. Parts of Staten Island remain under a zoned stop.
Get your questions answered can have with our series “Ask an epidemiologist”, or learn more about NYC COVID-19 test options with our explicator. Here are some local and national hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; New York State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.
Here is the latest:
Another new variant of the coronavirus is appearing more frequently across California, alarming some health officials as the state continues to face a wave of new cases and hospitalizations.
The strain, known as L452R, is distinct from the highly transmissible variant first found in the UK. Officials said on Sunday they had identified the L452R variant in a dozen counties and connected it to major outbreaks in Santa Clara County, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“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.”
The California Department of Health said it was not clear whether the new strain was much more contagious or if it was further identified due to lab techniques. There have been several variants of the virus documented throughout the pandemic.
Still, a recent sequencing effort at the University of California at San Francisco found the variant to be present in a quarter of their samples, up from 3.8% last month, according to the NY Times.
Los Angeles also reported its first confirmed case of the variant first found in the UK on Saturday, which has been found to be more contagious, but not more fatal.
In a report released Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the British variant could become the predominant strain in the United States by March.
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