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The Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to dominate in Riverside County but new variants are emerging, including the Lambda variant, which is now in California.
Experts say Lambda may be more contagious and resistant to vaccines than the original coronavirus strain, but it has yet to be labeled a “variant of concern” in the United States or by the World Health Organization.
Dr Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California at San Francisco, said the Lambda mutation is currently predominant in South America, accounting for 80-90% of new cases in Peru – but it is spreading now in the Golden State. too much.
“The Lambda variant is there, but the Delta variant is keeping it a secret,” Chin-Hong said. “It’s potentially more vaccine-evasive as well as transmissible but not as transmissible as Delta.”
Dr Chin-Hong said the aggressive Delta variant outperforms other variants. Delta accounts for more than 90% of new cases in the state and nationwide.
Riverside County public health officials believe Delta is also responsible for most of the cases here at home. “The majority of cases that occur in our county are also of the Delta variant,” said Dr Kim Saruwatari, director of Riverside University Health.
Only certain tests are sequenced for the variants. County officials said only 267 cases of Delta have been sequenced, but there are believed to be many more than that.
“In some cases, we prioritize people who travel, we prioritize people who have been vaccinated,” said Jose Arballo, Riverside County public health spokesperson. Someone is more likely to be vaccinated – if they get sick, it’s probably from a variant. “
County officials said Lambda was not present here in the Valley or in Riverside County. “We haven’t seen it yet,” Arballo said.
He said that means there is no need to worry with Lambda, at least for now, but experts say the virus continues to mutate every two weeks as long as it is transmitted.
“The best answer is probably not to even worry about the variants and get everyone vaccinated,” Chin-Hong said.
Vaccines have been shown to be effective in preventing serious illnesses caused by currently available variants. But experts said it was a race to get more people vaccinated before a more resistant mutation emerged.
Local hospital officials said their focus would remain on the current wave of Delta variants.
Regarding treatments, Chin-Hong said a patient’s variant made no difference; clinical care remains the same. However, he said that could change in the future.
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