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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated because the 63,080 vaccine doses given on Friday are not a one-day record, as the IDPH reported on Saturday; the IDPH reported on Friday that 74,965 doses had been administered the day before.
The most contagious variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK has surfaced in Lake County, health officials said on Saturday.
“While new cases of COVID-19 have been on the decline since January, the emergence of this new variant right here in Lake County underscores how important it is to remain vigilant,” said Mark Pfister, executive director of the Lake County Health Department, in a statement. Press release.
“We must all continue to follow the precautions of wearing masks, washing hands, keeping a distance of 6 feet from others and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces to limit the spread of the virus,” a- he declared.
The person who fell with the B.1.1.7 variant had traveled overseas and had contact with a sick person before returning to the United States in late December, Pfister said.
Upon returning to Lake County, the person was quarantined from the others and tested. The person did not show symptoms of COVID-19.
The federal Centers for Disease Control website says 17 cases of the variant have been identified in Illinois.
Viruses are constantly changing and new variants are expected, the health department said. In addition to variant B.1.1.7, variant 1.351 in South Africa and variant P.1 in Brazil have recently emerged.
“We expect to see more cases of these new variants in Lake County because they seem to spread more easily and faster than the other variants,” said Dr Sana Ahmed, medical epidemiologist in the county health department. de Lake, in the press release. “It is extremely important that you follow the quarantine recommendations and get tested if you have traveled or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Answer the call for contact tracers to help us protect our communities.
Studies suggest that currently available COVID-19 vaccines will be effective against the new strains.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that on Friday 63,080 doses had been administered. The 7-day moving average of vaccines administered daily is 49,909 doses.
A total of 1,294,498 vaccines had been administered Friday evening, out of 2,132,025 now delivered, said the IDPH.
The state has also reported 3,062 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease and 60 additional deaths. The numbers are at about the same level as those reported in recent days. The dead include 19 people in Cook County, five in DuPage County, three in Kane County, one in Lake County, one in McHenry County and two in Will County.
The statewide seven-day preliminary positivity for cases as a percentage of total test results from Jan.30 to Feb.5 is 3.4%.
As of Friday night, 2,271 people in Illinois were reportedly hospitalized with COVID-19. Of these, 485 patients were in intensive care and 246 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
For more information on COVID-19 variants, go to cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html.
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