Category: Corona Virus

With three new deaths in January, the total number of Larimer County residents who have died from the coronavirus hit 176 on Wednesday.

The Larimer County Department of Health and Environments overall case tally reached 16,155 on Wednesday, up 138 from Monday, while the total number of outbreaks was at 279 since March.

The county is reporting 19 deaths in January, all dated Jan. 1-10. The newly listed deaths on Wednesday were an 84-year-old Fort Collins man, who died Jan. 7; a 62-year-old Berthoud man, who died Jan. 6; and a 104-year-old Fort Collins woman, who died Jan. 5.

Out of the 176 total deaths, 86 were among residents at long-term-care facilities in the county.

The 138 cases added to the countys cumulative total on Wednesday included 132 confirmed and six probable. The new reports were dated Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The oldest is an 89-year-old Loveland woman, and the youngest is a 4-year-old Loveland boy.

Of the countys list of 279 outbreaks, 86 are active, and the rest are considered resolved.

An outbreak is two or more cases tied to a single location. An outbreak location must have zero new reports for 28 days to be considered resolved.

The active outbreaks include ones at 18 long-term-care facilities, with 329 residents confirmed to have the virus, 42 who have died, and 340 employees who have tested positive.

Residents and employees of long-term-care facilities are included in the first round of vaccinations, which are underway and which health officials said should be completed within two weeks.

Health care providers have been vaccinating front-line health workers and long-term-care residents, so far administering about 16,000 doses across Larimer County, of which just over 12,000 were the first dose and the rest the second one.

Some of the largest outbreaks still considered active are at skilled nursing centers and schools. Others include: Walmart Distribution Center in Loveland, 92 employees; Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Fort Collins, 25 employees; Larimer County Jail, 17 inmates and 18 staff members; Harvest Farm rehabilitation center in Wellington, 42 residents and nine employees; Blue Spruce temporary shelter in Fort Collins, 55 clients and eight staff members.

Every case tied to Colorado State University, whether or not they are connected and including last semester, is listed under one outbreak, with 1,563 cases, and the Cameron Peak Fire, though fully controlled, is still listed as an active outbreak with 78 cases.

Other newly listed outbreaks include:

Overall, the countys risk rating remains high, with a two-week positivity rating of 6.8% and an overall prevalence of 368 cases per 100,000 residents. Both statistics were down from Tuesdays levels.

Larimer Countys hospitals, as of Wednesday, were treating 49 patients for the virus, down from 54 on Tuesday, and were reporting 76% of beds in use across all conditions, including 83% of the intensive care unit beds.

Information is updated daily at larimer.org/coronavirus.

See the original post here:

Coronavirus: Larimer County reporting 3 additional deaths, 138 new cases and 86 active outbreaks - Loveland Reporter-Herald

The COVID-19 outbreak at Sullivan Countys assisted living home in Unity has remained isolated to one unit, and Administrator Ted Purdy is encouraged by his staffs response.

The whole facility has kicked in to enhanced precautions, Purdy said.

This week, the facility is reporting 11 residents and nine staffers have tested positive. The outbreak is contained to the Stearns 3 living unit, Purdy said.

Im encouraged weve been able to keep it to one unit at this point, Purdy said.

Since the outbreak started on Dec. 29, all staff members and residents are being tested weekly. This weeks test results are expected at the end of the week. Purdy said its not known how the virus entered the building.

With the community spread, its really difficult to know where it came in, Purdy said.

Jake Leon, director of communications for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, said New Hampshire is experiencing outbreaks in long-term care facilities similar to what happened in the spring. Thats being driven by community spread.

Rising rates of community transmission throughout the state have created an environment where COVID-19 is able to get in the front door of a facility and expose residents who are otherwise not out in the community, Leon said.

Purdy said no residents have been hospitalized for the illness since this outbreak started, and the symptoms have been manageable. Most of the staffers who have tested positive have exhibited mild to no symptoms, he said.

Leon said the state is helping out in Sullivan County with testing resources. The home can only do so much, and he encourages people in Sullivan County to work to cut down on possible community spread.

The best way to protect our seniors is to follow the steps that reduce the spread of the virus, including wearing a mask, social distancing, frequent hand washing, staying home when experiencing even one symptom, and getting tested if you are concerned you may have been exposed. he said.

See the original post:

Sullivan County nursing home deals with COVID-19 outbreak - The Union Leader

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is calling for members of Congress who refuse to wear face masks to be fined and removed from the floor of their chamber. Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is calling for members of Congress who refuse to wear face masks to be fined and removed from the floor of their chamber.

Updated at 11:45 a.m. ET

At least three Democratic members of Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus this week, blaming their results on their Republican colleagues' refusal to wear face masks during the hours-long lockdown last Wednesday as pro-Trump extremists attacked the U.S. Capitol.

"Only hours after Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic creating a superspreader event ON TOP of a domestic terrorist attack," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said on Twitter.

On Tuesday, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus after sheltering in place with other lawmakers who refused to wear masks.

"I am at least the third Member from that room paying the price," Schneider said, noting positive coronavirus tests from Jayapal and Rep. Bonnie Coleman, D-N.J.

Schneider shared a video of the scene, saying, "Several Republican lawmakers in the room adamantly refused to wear a mask, as demonstrated in video from Punchbowl News, even when politely asked by their colleagues."

Crowded conditions during the prolonged security lockdown recently prompted Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician to Congress, to urge members and staff to get coronavirus tests, citing a high chance of transmission.

Monahan also said that at least one lawmaker who was in a holding area was already positive before the chaotic events forced hundreds of people to gather together.

Jayapal was the second member of Congress to announce a positive test after the lockdown, along with Coleman. With Schneider, they join the ranks of more than 50 lawmakers and 220 workers in Congress who have either tested positive, or are presumed to have been infected with the coronavirus.

Jayapal, Coleman and Schneider are self-isolating. Coleman, who had taken the first of the required two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, says she is "experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms." Schneider said he has not had any symptoms.

Jayapal is pushing for people in Congress to show greater care in following safety guidelines and for anyone who ignores mask requirements to be punished including senators and representatives.

"Any Member who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy," she said via Twitter. "I'm calling for every single Member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol to be fined and removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms."

Schneider echoed that sentiment.

"Wearing a mask is not a political statement, it is public health guidance, common courtesy, and simply what should be expected of all decent people," he said.

See the article here:

Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Brad Schneider And Bonnie Coleman Test Positive : Insurrection At The Capitol: Live Updates - NPR

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) - Susan Pinza, Director of the Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning, joined 17 News at Sunrise to share more about classes available for community members.

Classes offered through the Levan Institute are meant to help people stay active, mentally and physically. Courses include piano lessons, yoga, photography and more.

View post:

Kids and COVID-19: More children hospitalized due coronavirus, MIS-C cases, possibility of vaccine required in schools - KGET 17

Can I retract all that praise I heaped on the NBA for doing things the right way when it comes to the pandemic?

Can I place those words in the large bin labeled things we didnt learn from in 2020?

After taking a leadership role by shutting down in March and then playing in a bubble in Orlando last summer, successfully completing the 2019-20 season and playoffs without any positive tests, the 2020-21 NBA season is quickly unraveling.

Three games have been postponed in the past two days. Teams like Dallas, Miami and Philadelphia are scrambling to simply have enough available bodies. The Heat chartered a separate plane to fly players in contact-tracing protocol, after their game in Boston was called off. A total of four games have been postponed, including the Houston-Oklahoma City game on the second day of the new season. The team the Warriors just hosted, the Toronto Raptors, have relocated to Florida because Canada wont let them traipse back and forth over the border in order to play basketball.

The league and the players association met via conference call on Monday and a special Board of Governors meeting is set for Tuesday. Aside from tightening protocol, the NBA is faced with chasing games, compromising its competitive quality, potentially shortening the season, and possibly pausing the season, though the public stance is that the latter option is off the table

January is going to be the worst month, Commissioner Adam Silver reportedly said on a recent conference call. We are optimistic about improvement in February after we get through the darkest days.

Is anyone shocked this is going badly? That an indoor sport, with very small rosters, in a league that demands frequent travel, operating in the teeth of a pandemic, is struggling to run smoothly?

While the health crisis has taken a backseat in the news cycle after last weeks violent insurrection in the nations capital, the coronavirus isnt worried about headlines or font size. The darkest days continue, uninterrupted.

As of Monday, more than 375,000 Americans have died, and the spread of the virus continues unchecked throughout virtually every part of the country.

The NBA knew this would likely be the case. Being smart in July and August doesnt inoculate you against stupidity in December and January.

The NBA started its season in the worst part of the pandemic, as post-Thanksgiving numbers surged, deaths spiked, and hospitals and frontline health care workers were absolutely overwhelmed. What we have seen in recent weeks makes last summer seem calm.

Did the NBA care? No. Just like in other sports, the owners and decision-makers were thinking with their bank accounts not their scientific common sense. They wanted those Christmas games played (ironically, virtually all of them were duds). They wanted a month of games that they could get in before a more sensible Martin Luther King Jr. holiday start. They wanted the $500 million to $1 billion in revenue estimated that the extra month would bring in.

So rather than waiting until this latest surge tapered off, until the vaccine rollout was more organized, they pushed ahead.

Sure, the players are being tested every day, which is irritating to those who cant get timely testing and could be a harbinger of the leagues attempts to get vaccinated out of turn. But all that testing, and all those protocol memos cant stop the virus.

I feel safe, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. But Im also aware of whats happening around the country and the worldWe have to remain vigilant with everything we are doing.

Steph Currys brother Seth was among the Philadelphia players who tested positive, leaving the team to play a game with only eight available players.

Guys are doing everything they can to stay safebut some things are out of your control, Curry said after the Warriors win Sunday. You just have to be ready for anything. Its a very interesting kind of predicament when youre trying to stay in the moment and get ready for games and then you see stuff pop up across the league.

The Warriors have had their own COVID issues. Draymond Green and rookie James Wiseman werent available to the team early in training camp, a development that impacted their cohesion and readiness at the start of the season.

The league clearly knew it was playing with fire, with its decision to release the schedule in two halves. The current part of the schedule only goes through March 4, with the second part of the schedule due out sometime in the next few weeks.

What will the second half look like? The nation is likely to see this post-Christmas, post-New Years surge continue through January and the NBA clearly is not immune. How many games will be postponed? How will this snowball? Will the integrity of the league be compromised?

As one general manager told ESPN, They tell us itll be better later in the season. But I just hope this doesnt break the league in the next few weeks.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion

Go here to see the original:

NBA opted to play with coronavirus fire and now its getting burned - Houston Chronicle

The coronavirus variant from the United Kingdom is now in at least nine U.S. states, and scientists expect that number to rise in short order.

A total of 63 infections with the strain known as B.1.1.7 were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Friday, the most recent data available. Given the limited amount of genetic analysis conducted on coronavirus samples collected here, health officials say the true number of cases is surely higher.

California currently has more confirmed cases than any other state, with 32, according to the CDC. Florida is next, with 22.

Colorado, the first state where the U.K. variant was first detected, now has three cases. Connecticut has two cases, and Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas each have one, the CDC says.

In addition, Minnesotas Department of Health announced Saturday that five cases involving the U.K. variant have been detected there.

This version of the coronavirus has a distinctive set of 17 genetic changes that set it apart from its predecessors. It was first detected in two British residents in September.

U.K. scientists warned that their homegrown variant was up to 70% more transmissible than earlier versions of the virus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded by renewing lockdown measures across much of England despite the approaching Christmas holiday, and several countries including the United States restricted travel from the U.K.

It is now clear that those measures came too late. The B.1.1.7 variant has been detected in 49 countries so far, including ones as far from the U.K. as Australia, Chile and Japan.

Many scientists outside the U.K. were initially skeptical of the claim that this version of the virus was more infectious than its predecessors. There were a host of other potential explanations for its spread in England, they said.

One possibility was that the variant encountered a particularly vulnerable group of people perhaps ones who were older, or who had an unusually high rate of underlying health problems. Theres also the fact that it took root at a time when people were spending more time indoors, where transmission is easier.

Early laboratory tests suggested the variant was more transmissible in mice, but it was unclear whether those results were significant for people.

Now U.K. scientists have bolstered their case. They used genetic data to time-stamp the spread of B.1.1.7 in three distinct regions of England and found similar patterns of growth in all of them. Another type of genetic screening provided a separate signal that B.1.1.7 was consistently able to outspread its competitors.

Mathematical models also showed that the way the variant spread in different regions was too similar to be a coincidence it had to be that the virus itself was more transmissible.

Indeed, according to their updated calculations, B.1.1.7 is about 56% more transmissible than earlier versions of the coronavirus. And though a month of business closures, mask mandates and limits on gatherings in Great Britain were sufficient to halt the growth of other strains of the coronavirus, those stringent public health measures did not stop the rapid growth of B.1.1.7 among Britons.

The new research has not yet been vetted through the typical peer-review process. But scientists who werent involved in the work said the new data were much more persuasive.

This is pretty solid evidence that this is really a faster-spreading virus, said Vladimir Minin, a biostatistician at UC Irvine.

Theres still no evidence that the U.K. strain infects people more quickly, makes them sicker or increases their risk of death. And researchers remain confident that the COVID-19 vaccines developed so far are effective against the variant, despite its genetic changes.

But considering how poor a job the U.S. has done containing the coronavirus so far, the emergence of a more transmissible strain is certainly a cause for concern.

The U.S. accounts for about 4% of the worlds population, but its responsible for nearly 25% of all coronavirus cases and more than 19% of COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That track record doesnt make scientists optimistic that Americans will be able to contain B.1.1.7.

Were losing the race with coronavirus, said Derek Cummings, an expert in emerging pathogens at the University of Florida. Now theres this variant that will make that race even harder.

You can track B.1.1.7s spread in the U.S. on the CDCs website.

See the original post:

Where is the new coronavirus strain in the U.S.? - Los Angeles Times

CLEVELAND, Ohio - One-in-15 Ohioans is now known to have been infected with the coronavirus, with the state reporting Monday new totals to date of 784,957 cases, 41,377 hospitalizations and 9,702 deaths.

The number of cases reported by the Ohio Department of Health edged up some, with the seven-day total reaching 57,534, but fewer people are now hospitalized with COVID-19.

Among the trends:

* A clearer picture is developing that December was the deadliest month to date for COVID-19 in Ohio. Death reports trickle in well after the date of death. But the health department now says at least 2,251 Ohioans died in December because of the virus. The next highest months for deaths are November (1,476), May (1,184) and April (1,107).

* The state now lists 180 known coronavirus cases for January 2020, in many instances likely the result of antibody testing and interviews with people testing positive about when they remember being ill.

* Hospitalizations are on the decline. Both the overall patient count and the number in intensive care units on Monday were reported at the lowest levels since before Thanksgiving, and down about 25% from the peak in mid-December.

Coronavirus hospitalizations are down about 25% from their peak in Ohio, but well above summer levels.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The Ohio Hospital Association on Monday reported 4,056 patients, including 971 in ICUs across the state. The highs of 5,308 and 1,318 occurred on Dec. 15.

Yet both counts remain well above where they were before the fall surge in cases. On Sept. 22, the first day of fall, the association reported a total of 590 patients, including just 199 in ICU.

Statewide, about 30% of the hospital beds were vacant on Monday, including about 25% of the ICU beds.

The 10,251 coronavirus cases reported in Ohio on Jan. 7 was the most for a single day since before Christmas. The two higher reports were two-day totals, following no reports from the state on Christmas and New Years Day.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Yet, the 57,534 cases reported in the last week marked the highest seven-day total since before Christmas. In comparison, there were 52,379 cases reported in the seven days through last Monday, and 45,690 the week before then.

The 10,251 cases reported last Thursday, Jan. 7, was the highest single-day total since Dec. 17. Since then, the state has reported 9,535, 8,374, 6,088 and 7,892 cases each day.

December was the deadliest month for coronavirus in Ohio.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The 9,702 deaths reported to date is up 6.1% from 9,143 one week ago.

There were 559 deaths reported over the last seven days, in comparison to 572 in the seven days through last Monday, and 449 the week before that.

But these reports often arrive weeks after a person has died, as the health department awaits final confirmations of the cause of death. Based on the date of death reported so far, Ohios deadliest days were Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, when 93 people died each day; Dec. 10 when 92 died; and Dec. 17 when 91 died.

The Ohio Department of Health has reported more than 300,000 people have been vaccinated. This chart shows the number to date reported daily. Some reporting lags, and may be adjusted later.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Ohio so far has reported 304,976 vaccines being administered, reaching 2.6% of the states population.

This is up from 162,941 vaccines reported through Monday, Jan. 4. These are the number of vaccines started. Each person is to receive two doses, about a month apart.

Testing for coronavirus has dipped from late-November totals.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state reported 8,186,142 tests to date. This includes 333,357 in the last week.

During the previous four weeks, there were 279,566, 301,725, 364,448 and 405,022 tests reported.

The number of estimated active cases of COVID-19 is down from December highs.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The health department estimates that 639,080 Ohioans have recovered from COVID-19. This is not based on individual case information, but on the number of cases at least three weeks old that have not resulted in death.

Based on the estimate for recoveries, 136,175 Ohioans currently have the coronavirus, down from a record of 170,486 on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

The age range for cases is from under 1 to 111. The median age is 43 for all cases, and 81 for deaths.

The health department last updated the number of deaths for nursing home patients on Wednesday, with a total of 5,059 representing close to 54% of all known COVID-19 deaths in Ohio at that point. This share has dropped in recent months.

For all cases this year, more than three-fourths of the deaths have been to people age 70 and up.

By age group the deaths have broken down this way: under age 20 (4), in their 20s (12), in their 30s (63), in their 40s (128), in their 50s (490), in their 60s (1,315), in their 70s (2,539) and at least 80 years old (5,150). Those 80 and up accounted for 44% of deaths from all causes nationally in 2017.

But for hospitalizations, the cases are more spread out age-wise: under age 20 (877), in their 20s (1,604), in their 30s (2,162), in their 40s (3,218), in their 50s (5,921), in their 60s (8,836), in their 70s (9,813) and at least 80 years old (8,930).

Older Ohioans have been more likely to have been hospitalized and even more likely to have died because of coronavirus.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The counties with the most deaths are Cuyahoga (955), Franklin (701) and Summit (655). Details for every county are shown in the chart at the bottom of this story.

For the deaths in which race was reported, 83% of the people are white, and 13% are Black. For total cases, 74% are white and 14% Black. Ohios population is 82% white and 13% Black, census estimates say.

The counties with the most cases are Franklin (93,057), Cuyahoga (78,231) and Hamilton (57,871). They are the states three largest counties. Cases per capita are shown in the chart at the bottom of this story.

The first three cases were confirmed on March 9. The total topped 100,000 on Aug. 9, 250,000 on Nov. 8, 500,000 on Dec. 8, and 750,000 on Thursday, Jan. 7.

Among the cases reported to date are 88,131 listed as probable, those cases included by a wider variety of tests or identified through non-testing evidence. This total is up from 76,494 and 66,615 the last two weeks ago.

The chart below is based on the most recent case data from the Ohio Department of Health. Cleveland.com calculated the cases per 100 rates based on 2019 census population estimates.

Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral.

Some mobile users may need to use this link instead to view the county-by-county chart.

Previous stories

See coronavirus cases by day for each Ohio county, including per capita and cases in last seven days

See how many coronavirus cases there are in each Ohio ZIP code

Successfully targeting vaccines to vulnerable groups could make a big difference for Ohio; here are the numbers

What you need to know about the new stimulus checks, and $300 extra weekly in unemployment benefits: Thats Rich! Q&A

Ohios coronavirus nursing home deaths top 5,000 with 203 added this week

Visit link:

Mapping Ohios coronavirus vaccines; updates, trends for deaths, hospitalizations, cases statewide and by cou - cleveland.com

Posted: Jan 11, 2021 / 09:11 AM EST / Updated: Jan 12, 2021 / 04:42 AM EST

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) After administering the first round of COVID-19 vaccines to seniors last week, The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County is set to resume vaccinating seniors ages 65 and older on Wednesday.

The health department has received another vaccine shipment containing 9,000 doses. The vaccines will be administered at three distribution sites Wednesday through Friday, according to a news release.

To get vaccinated, residents ages 65 and older will have to make an appointment by calling (850) 848-5287 or visiting patientportalfl.com. The registration period begins Tuesday, Jan. 12 and will end once slots run out.

Seniors can only make an appointment during the designated time frame specific to their age group:

The three vaccine distribution sites are:

The sites will remain open Wednesday through Friday until all doses have been given.

Hillsborough Countys vaccine rollout got off to a rough start last week with websites crashing, phone lines going down and sites reaching full capacity. The county later suspended its online registration site and told residents to make appointments by phone. It quickly ran out of slots for vaccine appointments.

The health department said it had fired OnSite Safe, the vendor in charge of registrations.

Read more:

Hillsborough County to resume giving seniors COVID-19 vaccine this week - WFLA

The school says saliva-based COVID-19 testing technology allows them to better understand and diagnose new coronavirus cases and the spread.

COLUMBIA, S.C. The University of South Carolina is testing for strains of the coronavirus.

According to the school, saliva-based COVID testing technology will allow them to better understand and diagnose new coronavirus cases and the spread.

Dr. Helmut Albrecht is the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy for Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina.

"The same group that actually established all the testing on the USC campus, they're all geneticists, actually," Dr. Albrecht said. "They've been characterizing this virus variants of which there are thousands and we expect there to be thousands."

The doctor says the group has been studying variants for many months now.

"If we see outbreaks, if we see certain patterns that do not fit, one of the ways they could look into this is by so-called sequencing the virus. So you see the genetic information for different viruses," explained Dr. Albrecht. "They have these mutations that may make a virus less infectious, more infectious, more virulent or more dangerous."

Dr. Albrecht says while strains of the virus were initially related to Chinese strains, South Carolina discovered early on strains were coming from Europe.

"The hoopla the new variants have caused in parallel with the rollout of the vaccine, it would be important for us to figure out whether this variant is here and whether we should change our vaccine or treatment strategies for instance," said Dr. Albrecht.

While Dr. Albrecht says they've figured out that the vaccine and all the antivirals seem to be working just as well with other variants, they want to be able to find out if new strains with new abilities are spreading through a campus or community.

Through the testing being done at the University of South Carolina, they will have information more quickly if they need to make changes.

"For now, the good news is none of these variants are really in response to the vaccine, but once the vaccine is rolled out, that is one of the problems we could be facing and it will be important to know that early," explained Dr. Albrecht.

The doctor says there are hundreds of labs across the globe who are participating in this kind of testing.

The group at the school can study any virus that is submitted to them. It can be a frozen or pre-analyzed virus or be an old or new test. Due to the costs, they won't sequence thousands of viruses per day, week or month.

"If there is an outbreak or something that comes up, another variant, we would be able to respond quicker than campuses that didn't have this availability," said Dr. Albrecht.

"It was important for us to figure out where these viruses are getting introduced from and how the virus moves in the community. USC, from the very beginning, has said one of the important things of all our testing is to not only protect our students and now our staff, but also the community."

See the article here:

University of South Carolina testing for variant strains of the coronavirus - WLTX.com

A new study has found that the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech remains effective against a mutation in variants of the coronavirus that are now spreading around the world.

The study, which looked at only one mutation among many in the variants, is not proof that all existing COVID-19 vaccines will still protect against the variants, but it's a positive step, scientists said.

"Had the opposite result been found ... that would have been bad and very concerning," Stephen Evans of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told the BBC. "So, yes this is good news, but it does not yet give us total confidence that the Pfizer (or other) vaccines will definitely give protection."

The study, conducted by scientists at Pfizer and the University of Texas Medical Branch, looked at a mutation called N501Y that is in coronavirus variants, including one first found in the United Kingdom.

(WATCH: CDC Has New Information About Asymptomatic Spread of COVID-19)

On Monday, the Indiana Department of Health announced the U.K. variant had been identified in that state. It also has turned up in at least eight other states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Another variant, with similar mutations to the U.K. variant, was first discovered in South Africa. Like the U.K. variant, it also is turning up in other countries.

Virus mutations are common and expected. Many variants of the new coronavirus have been documented during this pandemic, the CDC said. The U.K. and South Africa variants have generated more concern because they seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants. There is no evidence the variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death, the CDC said.

(MORE: You Didn't Imagine It Earth Was Spinning Faster in 2020)

One of the biggest worries has been whether or not vaccines will still be effective against the variants. The CDC said most experts think the vaccines will still work.

The N501Y mutation, which the Pfizer study examined, helps the virus attach to human cells and establish an infection, according to the study, which has been posted to a preprint server but not yet peer-reviewed.

Medical professionals from Oregon Health and Science University load syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-thru vaccination clinic in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. The U.S. is entering the second month of the largest vaccination effort in history with a massive expansion of the campaign, opening up football stadiums, major league ballparks, fairgrounds and convention centers to inoculate a larger and more diverse pool of people.

Using blood samples from 20 participants in the vaccine's clinical trial, the researchers found the vaccine remained effective against the N501Y mutation.

The next step is to continue testing the vaccine against other mutations in the various variants.

Philip Dormitzer, Pfizers vice president and chief scientific officer of viral vaccines, told the STAT medical news site that Pfizer has tested its vaccine against more than a dozen coronavirus mutations "without finding anything alarming."

"I dont want to be a Pollyanna here we have to test each one as they come, but so far, so good," Dormitzer said.

Moderna, which also has a vaccine approved for use in the U.S., has said it, too, is performing tests on the coronavirus variants and expects its vaccine to be effective against them.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots about three weeks apart. Only about 6.7 million Americans, or 2% of the population, have received their first shots, according to the Associated Press.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

Continue reading here:

COVID-19 Vaccine Can Still Fight Coronavirus Mutations, Study Suggests | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com - The...