Category: Corona Virus

The royals, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, were photographed in close proximity to other family members in a park on Sunday, according to British media outlet the Mail Online.Prince William and his family were walking alongside his uncle Prince Edward and his family while visiting a Christmas-themed woodland walk near the Queen's Norfolk residence Sandringham, according to the Mail Online.

Photos shared by the outlet appear to show more than six individuals present, with the two families standing in close proximity while visiting Luminate Sandringham.

Norfolk falls under England's Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions, limiting outdoor gatherings to six people.

Visitors to the attraction are asked to remain in groups of no more than six throughout their visit, according to guidance issued by the organizers of the woodland walk, Luminate Sandringham.

In response to the article, a source at Sandringham told CNN that "there were moments on the 90 minute walk where it was difficult to keep the two family groups apart, particularly at bottlenecks on the trail."

"The two families were given separate consecutive slots to visit the trail just before it opened to the general public. They arrived, and departed in their own family groups," the source added.

At the weekend, Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed stricter measures -- Tier 4 -- on London and other areas in southeastern England.

Those living in Tier 4 areas have been asked to not visit the attraction, which is located in a Tier 2 area, according to the organizers.

"Please be assured, that the health and safety of our visitors and staff remains at all times our paramount consideration, particularly with regards the ever evolving Covid 19 pandemic," Luminate said in a statement on its website.

"We would ask that all of our visitors be respectful of other visitors and our colleagues throughout your visit," Luminate added.

As part of new coronavirus regulations issued by the government ahead of Christmas, those residing in Tier 2 areas have been asked to limit outdoor meetings to no more than six, including children of any age.

"You can continue to meet in a group larger than six if you are all from the same household or support bubble or another legal exemption applies," the UK Department of Health and Social Care said Saturday.

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British royals accused of breaking coronavirus regulations during family outing - CNN

There were those who said, You know this is political, after the election its gonna go away, and I said, No I dont think so ... youre fooling yourself into this, this COVID-19 is real, Scottdale funeral home owner Frank Kapr. The only thing I can say to people now is, use your mask wherever you go, and stay safe, he said.

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COVID-19 deaths remain high in Pa. and N.J. as new cases drop; next round of Pa. vaccines going to essential w - The Philadelphia Inquirer

LITTLE VILLAGE Since losing her job earlier this year, Little Village resident Camila has frequented New Life Centers Pan de Vida food pantry a few times a month to pick up vegetables, meat and milk.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact on Camilas family of five. And as shes lined up for food, she noticed the line at the pantry at 27th Street and South Lawndale Avenue grow week after week.

In the face of uncertainty, the pantry has been a lifeline for her family, she said.

Its a big help, Camila said in Spanish.

Hoping to meet some of the unprecedented need for food assistance, New Life Centers and the Greater Chicago Food Depository partnered to give away turkey, ham and holiday fixings ahead of Christmas to more than 2,500 families Tuesday morning.

National nonprofit Feeding America estimates 785,890 people in Cook County are food-insecure. Theres been a 51 percent increase since 2018, according to a Greater Chicago Food Depository analysis.

That makes Cook County the third-largest population of food-insecure people in the United States.

The Greater Chicago Food Depositorys network of food pantries and partners have recorded up to 150 percent increases in people needing food assistance during the pandemic, according to its year-end report.

Its the biggest hunger crisis the Greater Chicago Food Depository has seen in its 41-year history. And even with a vaccine on the horizon, the nonprofits leaders expect the economic recovery from the pandemic and as a result, food insecurity to take months or even years to level off, according to the report.

Greater Chicago Food Depository spokesman Greg Trotter said they are working to get grants and fundraise so food pantry partners can continue to meet the need on the ground.

People are really hurting hundreds of thousands of people in Cook County, Trotter said. One of the few silver linings has been partnerships with groups like New Life Centers.

Before the pandemic, New Life Centers distribute food out of the churchs basement, helping about 100 families per week thanks to donations from Trader Joes.

When COVID hit, we saw the need spike like crazy, New Lift Centers Executive Director Matt DeMateo said.

After teaming up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository in April, New Life Centers has been able to scale up distribution at seven sites across the South and West sides, DeMateo said, feeding more than 700,000 people in six months.

New Life Centers is working to open a permanent food pantry in the coming months, DeMateo said.

Systemic inequities over generations have led to disproportionate rates of poverty and food insecure among Black and Latino families. Black and Hispanic households face food insecurity at rates more than double those of white households, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The coronavirus crisis has worsened disparities, leaving people of color more like to contract coronavirus and suffer from the economic fallout. A recent Northwestern University study showed that four in 10 Black and Latino households with children report they are food insecure.

In Little Village, a working-class, majority Latino neighborhood on the South Side, youth volunteers and staff have stepped up in extraordinary ways to help families through this difficult time, DeMateo said.

Diana Franco, 20, who formerly attended youth programs there, started volunteering after the pandemic and then joined the Pan de Vida staff.

I wanted to help and I saw the need, Franco said. COVID has impacted the community a lot and having the pantry has helped a lot.

We see people from far away because they are in need.

Brighton Park resident Mari Ybarra takes two buses to get to Little Village twice a month because the food distribution helps her get by, she said. She also goes out so her pregnant daughter doesnt have to leave home and risk contracting the virus, Ybarra said.

This helps a lot, Ybarra said. It goes a long way.

Adding to the ambiance at the food pantry Tuesday, a youth mariachi band played for neighbors. DeMateo said organizers wanted to provide neighbors with a celebration after a heavy year.

Christmas is going to be a difficult season for a lot of families. A lot of our families are still unemployed, struggling and weve lost close to 200 people in the 60623 [ZIP code] alone to COVID, DeMateo said.

We are here to provide hope, healing and community as best as we can.

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Chicago Is Experiencing The Biggest Hunger Crisis In Decades Because Of Coronavirus And The Recovery Could Take Years - Block Club Chicago

Its been nine months since the coronavirus outbreak was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

And while the emergency authorization of two new vaccines is being held as a ray of hope by health experts, cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in the United States.

In light of all of this, on Wednesday, Closer Look took a look back at this year in coronavirus news and asked guests two big questions: What have we learned so far? And what news should we be watching in the New Year?

First, Sam Whitehead, WABEs health reporter and host of the podcast Did You Wash Your Hands, shared his reflections on how the coronavirus has shaped this year and what news to watch in 2021.

Then, Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, associate professor and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and Beth Blauer, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Centers for Civic Impact, share how the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center has expanded to track the national rollout of the new COVID-19 vaccines. The digital tool which tracks newly-confirmed cases, hospitalizations and other regional data was recently named one of TIME Magazines best inventions of 2020.

Finally, Dr. Aneesh Mehta, Chief of Infectious Diseases Services at Emory University Hospital, shares what medical experts have learned about COVID-19 since he first joined the program in March.

To hear the full conversation, click on the audio player above.

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Year In Review: Looking Back At How The Coronavirus Has Shaped 2020 | 90.1 FM WABE - WABE 90.1 FM

But for much of the US, the pandemic is raging out of control -- and will get worse before everyone can be vaccinated.

In just the past week, more than 18,000 people died from Covid-19 in the US. Hospitals are filling up fast.

And the US set a record Friday for the most Covid-19 infections reported in one day: 249,709, according to Johns Hopkins University.

"Unfortunately, it will get worse because we still are experiencing the outcome of the Thanksgiving holiday and gatherings," said Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific officer for Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's vaccine initiative.

"And unfortunately, there may be more over the Christmas holiday. So there will be a continuing surge."

More than 2 million travelers were screened at US airports between Friday and Saturday, the Transportation Security Administration said.

Where the Moderna vaccine will likely go

The first public doses of the Moderna vaccine will "most likely" be administered Monday morning, Slaoui said.

Distribution of the Moderna vaccine has already started, said Army Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.

Just like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine has received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.

More than 6 million doses of Moderna's vaccine will be shipped to more than 3,200 sites where they will be administered -- far more than the 636 sites that Pfizer's vaccines were shipped to.

As for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, more than 272,000 doses had been administered as of Saturday, according to the CDC.

Recipients of either vaccine must get two doses. The Pfizer/BioNTech doses should be spaced 21 days apart, and the Moderna vaccine should be spaced 28 days apart.

Excitement about a second vaccine must be tempered by a huge caveat: Only high-priority groups (such as health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities) will get vaccinated first.

But now we have an idea of who could receive vaccines next.

The CDC's advisory committee voted Sunday afternoon to prioritize older adults ages 75 and older and frontline essential workers in the next phase of vaccine allocation.

For the subsequent phase, the committee voted to prioritize adults between the ages of 65 and 75, people between the ages of 16 and 64 with high-risk medical conditions, and other essential workers.

These recommendations will "serve to address the current lack of vaccine supply and address those individuals with the highest risk for disease," said Dr. Jos Romero, the chair of the committee and the secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health.

Slaoui believes vaccines will still be effective after virus variation

But "up to now, I don't think there has been a single variant that would be resistant to the vaccine," Slaoui sad. "We can't exclude it, but it's not there now."

He said the novel coronavirus may be prone to variance. But critical aspects of the virus, such as the spike protein involved in a vaccine, are very specific to the novel coronavirus and unlikely to mutate much.

"Because the vaccines are using antibodies against many different parts of the spike protein, the chances that all of them change, I think, are low," Slaoui said.

Most Americans will still have to wait months for a vaccine

By the end of this year, "we will have enough doses to vaccinate nearly 20 million people," said Dr. Amanda Cohn, executive secretary for the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

"By the end of January, we will have enough doses to vaccinate nearly 30 million additional people, and then by the end of February, 50 million additional people," Cohn said Sunday.

In other words, most Americans won't be able to get a Covid-19 vaccine until sometime in 2021.

Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of Emory University's School of Medicine, said he agreed with that assessment.

"We're just simply saying, 'Well, we're getting vaccine.' But the vaccine is coming way too late for thousands of people who will die before we get the vaccine distributed widely," del Rio said Thursday.

"Transmissions (of the virus) are actively happening, and I think before the end of the year, we may be getting close to 4,000 deaths a day," del Rio said.

As for when children might be able to receive the vaccine, Moderna has an ongoing study of its vaccine in adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18. The company is also discussing an additional clinical trial for children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years with the National Institutes of Health.

CDC gives new advice for those with a history of allergic reactions

After several reports of allergic reactions to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the CDC now suggests those who have ever had a severe allergic reaction to an ingredient in a Covid-19 vaccine should not get that vaccine and should consult a doctor.

A reaction is considered severe if it requires the person to be treated with epinephrine, or they need to be hospitalized. Such reactions can include shortness of breath, a closing of the throat, nausea and dizziness.

If someone gets a severe allergic reaction after the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, they should not get the second dose, the CDC said.

Those who have severe allergies unrelated to vaccines or injectable medications can still get a Covid-19 vaccines, the agency said.

The CDC also said those who have a history of allergies to any oral medications or people with milder reactions to vaccines can also still get vaccinated.

Vaccine providers should monitor all people for 15 minutes after getting the vaccine for any possible reaction, and those with a history of severe allergic reactions should be monitored for 30 minutes, the CDC said.

It said all vaccine providers should have epinephrine, antihistamines, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and timing devices on hand to treat and monitor reactions.

But so far, the percentage of vaccine recipients who had a severe reaction is extremely low.

Of the 556,208 Pfizer/BioNTech doses given as of Sunday, only a handful serious allergic reactions have been reported.

Several health care workers at Providence Health Alaska suffered adverse reactions, spokesman Mikal Canfield said Saturday. The reactions were not life-threatening.

In total, five people in Alaska had adverse reactions across the state.

In suburban Chicago, adverse reactions in four employees caused a hospital to temporarily stop its Covid-19 vaccination program for frontline workers.

The health care company noted those four workers represented "fewer than 0.15% of the approximately 3,000 who have so far received vaccinations across Advocate Aurora Health."

The health care system said the program will resume Sunday, but with increased time to monitor people after getting the vaccine.

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said allergic reactions to vaccines are "not abnormal or unexpected."

"The system is working," Adams said. "We are recognizing and catching these very, very rare side effects."

CNN's Nadia Kounang, Jacqueline Howard, Ben Tinker, Arman Azad, Virginia Langmaid, Lauren Mascarenhas, Paul Vercammen, Pete Muntean and Gisela Crespo contributed to this report.

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Coronavirus infections and deaths skyrocket heading into Christmas week, and 'it will get worse' - CNN

Italy also suspended air travel, and Belgian officials on Sunday enacted a 24-hour ban on arrivals from the United Kingdom by air or train. Germany is drawing up regulations limiting travelers from Britain as well as from South Africa.

Other countries are also considering bans, among them France, Austria and Ireland, according to local media. Spain has asked the European Union for a coordinated response to banning flights. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York asked the Trump administration to consider banning flights from Britain.

With distribution of a coronavirus vaccine beginning in the U.S., here are answers to some questions you may be wondering about:

In England, transport officials said that they would increase the number of police officers monitoring hubs like railway stations to ensure only essential journeys were being taken. The countrys health secretary, Matt Hancock, on Sunday called those who were packing trains clearly irresponsible.

He also said that the restrictions Mr. Johnson imposed could be in place for months.

Like all viruses, the coronavirus is a shape-shifter. Some genetic changes are inconsequential, but some may give it an edge.

Scientists fear the latter possibility, especially: The vaccination of millions of people may force the virus to new adaptations, mutations that help it evade or resist the immune response. Already, there are small changes in the virus that have arisen independently multiple times across the world, suggesting these mutations are helpful to the pathogen.

The mutation affecting antibody susceptibility technically called the 69-70 deletion, meaning there are missing letters in the genetic code has been seen at least three times: in Danish minks, in people in Britain and in an immune-suppressed patient who became much less sensitive to convalescent plasma.

This things transmitting, its acquiring, its adapting all the time, said Dr. Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at the University of Cambridge, who last week detailed the deletions recurrent emergence and spread. But people dont want to hear what we say, which is: This virus will mutate.

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The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us? - The New York Times

People at Saint Pancras station in London, waiting to board the last train to Paris today amid concerns that borders with France will close. Belgium said earlier today that it would ban trains from London for at least 24 hours.

By Kai KupferschmidtDec. 20, 2020 , 5:45 PM

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

On 8 December, during a regular Tuesday meeting about the spread of the pandemic coronavirus in the United Kingdom, scientists and public health experts saw a diagram that made them sit up straight. Kent, in southeastern England, was experiencing a surge in cases, and a phylogenetic tree showing viral sequences from the county looked very strange, says Nick Loman, a microbial genomicist at the University of Birmingham. Not only were half the cases caused by one specific variant of SARS-CoV-2, but that variant was sitting on a branch of the tree that literally stuck out from the rest of the data. Ive not seen a part of the tree that looks like this before, Loman says.

Less than 2 weeks later, that variant is causing mayhem in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe. Yesterday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced stricter lockdown measures, saying the strain, which goes by the name B.1.1.7, appears to be better at spreading between people. The news led many Londoners to leave the city today, before the new rules take effect, causing overcrowded railway stations. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy announced they were temporarily halting passenger flights from the United Kingdom. The Eurostar train between Brussels and London will stop running tonight at midnight, for at least 24 hours.

Scientists, meanwhile, are hard at work trying to figure out whether B.1.1.7 is really more adept at human-to-human transmissionnot everyone is convinced yetand if so, why. Theyre also wondering how it evolved so fast. B.1.1.7has acquired 17 mutations all at once, a feat never seen before. Theres now a frantic push to try and characterize some of these mutations in the lab, says Andrew Rambaut, a molecular evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh.

Researchers have watched SARS-CoV-2 evolve in real time more closely than any other virus in history. So far, it has accumulated mutations at a rate of about one to two changes per month. That means many of the genomes sequenced today differ at about 20 points from the earliest genomes sequenced in China in January, but many variants with fewer changes are also circulating. Because we have very dense surveillance of genomes, you can almost see every step, Loman says.

But scientists have never seen the virus acquire more than a dozen mutations seemingly at once. They think it happened during a long infection of a single patient that allowed SARS-CoV-2 to go through an extended period of fast evolution, with multiple variants competing for advantage.

One reason to be concerned, Rambaut says, is that among the 17 mutations areeight in the gene that encodes the spike protein on the viral surface, two of which are particularly worrisome. One, called N501Y, has previously been shown to increase how tightly the protein binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, its entry point into human cells. The other, named 69-70del, leads to the loss of two amino acids in the spike protein and has been found in viruses that eluded the immune response in some immunocompromised patients.

A fortunate coincidence helped show that B.1.1.7 (also called VUI-202012/01, for the first variant under investigation in December 2020), appears to be spreading faster than other variants in the United Kingdom. One of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests used widely in the country, called TaqPath, normally detects pieces of three genes. But viruses with 69-70del lead to a negative signal for the gene encoding the spike gene; instead only two genes show up. That means PCR tests, which the United Kingdom conducts by the hundreds of thousands daily and which are far quicker and cheaper than sequencing the entire virus, can help keep track of B.1.1.7.

In a press conference on Saturday, Chief Science Adviser Patrick Vallance said B.1.1.7, which first appeared in a virus isolated on 20 September, accounted for about 26% of cases in mid-November. By the week commencing the ninth of December, these figures were much higher, he said. So, in London, over 60% of all the cases were the new variant. Johnson added that the slew of mutations may have increased the virus transmissibility by 70%.

Theres now a frantic push to try and characterize some of these mutations in the lab.

Christian Drosten, a virologist at Charit University Hospital in Berlin, says that was premature. There are too many unknowns to say something like that, he says. For one thing, the rapid spread of B.1.1.7 might be down to chance. Scientists previously worried that a variant that spread rapidly from Spain to the rest of Europeconfusingly called B.1.177might be more transmissible, but today they think it is not; it just happened to be carried all over Europe by travelers who spent their holidays in Spain. Something similar might be happening with B.1.1.7, says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Georgetown University. Drosten notes that the new mutant also carries a deletion in another viral gene, ORF8, that previous studies suggest might reduce the virus ability to spread.

But further reason for concern comes from South Africa, where scientists have sequenced genomes in three provinces where cases are soaring: Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and KwaZulu Natal. They identified a lineage separate from the U.K. variant that also has a N501Y mutation in the spike gene. We found that this lineage seems to be spreading much faster, says Tulio de Oliveira, a virologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal whose work first alerted U.K. scientists to the importance of N501Y. (A preprint of their results on the strain, which they are calling 501Y.V2, will be released on Monday, de Oliveira says.)

Another worry is B.1.1.7 could cause more severe disease. There is anecdotal evidence that the South African variant may be doing that in young people and those who are otherwise healthy, says John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Its concerning, but we really need more data to be sure. TheAfrican Task Force for Coronaviruswill convene an emergency meeting to discuss the issue on Monday, Nkengasong says.

Still, B.1.177, the strain from Spain, offers a cautionary lesson, says virologistEmma Hodcroftof the University of Basel. U.K. scientists initially thought it had a 50% higher mortality rate, but that turned out to be purely messy, biased data in the early days, she says. I think that is a very strong reminder that we always have to be really careful with early data. In the case of N501Y, more young people may be getting sick because many more are getting infected; Oliveira says some recent postexam celebrations in South Africa have turned into superspreading events. Studies in cell culture and animal experiments will have to show how a virus with several or all of the mutations carried by the new variant compares with previous variants, Drosten says.

Getting definitive answers could take months. But Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at the University of Cambridge, has made a start. The 69-70del mutation appeared together with another mutation named D796H in the virus of a patient who was infected for several months and was given convalescent plasma to treat the disease. (The patient eventually died.) In the lab, Guptas group found that virus carrying the two mutations was less susceptible to convalescent plasma from several donors than the wild-type virus. That suggests it can evade antibodies targeting the wild-type virus, Guptawrote in a preprint published this month. He also engineered a lentivirus to express mutated versions of the spike protein and found that the deletion alone made that virus twice as infectious. He is now conducting similar experiments with viruses that carry both the deletion and the N501Y mutation. The first results should appear just after Christmas, Gupta says.

The ban on flights from the United Kingdom that other countries are imposing is pretty extreme, Hodcroft says. But it does give countries time to think about putting any additional measures in place to deal with passengers from the United Kingdom, she says: I would hope that most countries in Europe are thinking about this.

But scientists say B.1.1.7 may already be much more widespread. Researchers in the Netherlands have found it in a sample from one patient taken in early December, Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge wrotein a letter to Parliament today. They will try to find out how the patient became infected and whether there are related cases. Other countries may have the variant as well, says epidemiologist William Hanage of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the United Kingdom may have just picked it up first because it has the most sophisticated SARS-CoV-2 genomic monitoring in the world. Many countries have little or no sequencing.

The evolutionary process that led to B.1.1.7 may also occur elsewhere. With vaccines being rolled out, the selective pressure on the virus is going to change, meaning variants that help the virus thrive could be selected for, says Kristian Andersen,an infectious disease researcher at Scripps Research. The important thing in the coming months will be picking up such events, Andersen says.Whatever enabled the B.1.1.7 lineage to emerge is likely going on in other parts of the world, he says. Will we be able to actually detect it and then follow up on it? That, to me is one of the critical things.

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Mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom sets off alarms, but its importance remains unclear - Science Magazine

In recent days, the world has watched with curiosity and growing alarm as scientists in the U.K. have described a newly identified variant of the coronavirus that appears to be more contagious than, and genetically distinct from, more established variants. Initial studies of the new variant prompted Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tighten restrictions over Christmas, and spurred officials in the Netherlands, Germany and other European countries to ban travel from the U.K.

The new variant is now the focus of intense debate and analysis. Heres some of what scientists have learned so far.

No. Its just one variation among many that have arisen as the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world. Mutations arise as the virus replicates, and this variant known as B.1.1.7 has acquired its own distinctive set of them.

The variant came to the attention of researchers in December, when it began to turn up more frequently in samples from parts of southern England. It turned out to have been collected from patients as early as September.

When researchers took a close look at its genome, they were struck by the relatively large number of mutations 23, all told that it had acquired. Most mutations that arise in the coronavirus are either harmful to the virus or have no effect one way or another. But a number of the mutations in B.1.1.7 looked as if they could potentially affect how the virus spread.

It appears so. In preliminary work, researchers in the U.K. have found that the virus is spreading quickly in parts of southern England, displacing a crowded field of other variants that have been circulating for months.

However, a virus lineage becoming more common is not proof that it spreads faster than others. It could grow more widespread simply through luck. For instance, a variant might start out in the middle of a crowded city, where transmission is easy, allowing it to make more copies of itself.

Still, the epidemiological evidence gathered so far from England does seem to suggest that this variant is very good at spreading. In places where it has become more common, the overall number of coronavirus cases is spiking. Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, estimates that the variant has an increased transmission rate of 50 to 70 percent compared to other variants in the United Kingdom.

Some scientists have raised the possibility that the increase in transmission is at least partly the result of how it infects children. Normally, children are less likely than teenagers or adults to get infected or pass on the virus. But the new strain may make children as equally susceptible as adults, said Wendy Barclay, government adviser and virologist at Imperial College London.

To confirm that the variant truly is more contagious, researchers are now running laboratory experiments on it, observing up close how it infects cells.

Researchers have already used such experiments to investigate a mutant that arose earlier in the pandemic, called 614G. That variant proved to be more transmissible than its predecessors, studies in cell culture and animals found.

But disciplined containment measures worked just as well against 614G as other variants. The same is likely true for B.1.1.7. According to what we already know, it does not alter the effectiveness of social distancing, face masks, hand washing, hand sanitizers and ventilation, Dr. Muge Cevik, an infectious disease specialist at the University of St. Andrews School of Medicine, said on Twitter.

With distribution of a coronavirus vaccine beginning in the U.S., here are answers to some questions you may be wondering about:

There is no strong evidence that it does, at least not yet. But there is reason to take the possibility seriously. In South Africa, another lineage of the coronavirus has gained one particular mutation that is also found in B.1.1.7. This variant is spreading quickly through coastal areas of South Africa. And in preliminary studies, doctors there have found that people infected with this variant carry a heightened viral load a higher concentration of the virus in their upper respiratory tract. In many viral diseases, this is associated with more severe symptoms.

That is now a question of intense debate. One possibility is that the variant gained its array of new mutations inside a special set of hosts.

In a typical infection, people pick up the coronavirus and become infectious for a few days before showing symptoms. The virus then becomes less abundant in the body as the immune system marshals a defense. Unless patients suffer a serious case of Covid-19, they typically clear the virus completely in a few weeks at most.

But sometimes the virus infects people with weak immune systems. In their bodies, the virus can thrive for months. Case studies on these immunocompromised people have shown that the virus can accumulate a large number of mutations as it replicates in their bodies for a long period of time.

Over time, researchers have found, natural selection can favor mutant viruses that can evade the immune system. Researchers have also suggested that the evolution of the variant might have been additionally driven by medicine given to such patients. Some mutants might be able to withstand drugs such as monoclonal antibodies.

Other scientists have suggested that the virus could have gained new mutations by spreading through an animal population, like minks, before re-entering the human population. Such animal reservoirs have become a focus of intense interest as more animal infections have been detected.

Not yet, as far as anyone knows. But that does not mean it hasnt already reached the United States. British scientists have established a much stronger system to monitor coronaviruses for new mutations. Its conceivable that someone traveling from the United Kingdom has brought it with them. Now that the world knows to look for the variant, it may turn up in more countries.

No. Most experts doubt that it will have any great impact on vaccines, although its not yet possible to rule out any effect.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two vaccines, one from Moderna and the other from Pfizer and BioNTech. Both vaccines create immunity to the coronavirus by teaching our immune systems to make antibodies to a protein that sits on the surface of the virus, called spike. The spike protein latches onto cells and opens a passageway inside. Antibodies produced in response to the vaccines stick to the tip of the spike. The result: The viruses cant get inside.

It is conceivable that a mutation to a coronavirus could change the shape of its spike proteins, making it harder for the antibodies to gain a tight grip on them. And B.1.1.7s mutations include eight in the spike gene. But our immune systems can produce a range of antibodies against a single viral protein, making it less likely that viruses can easily escape their attack. Right now, experts dont think that the variant will be able to evade vaccines. To confirm that, researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research are analyzing the changes to the structure of its spike protein.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the head scientific adviser to Operation Warp Speed, the federal effort to deliver a vaccine to the American public, said that the new variant reported in Britain was unlikely to affect the efficacy of a vaccine.

At some point some day, somewhere a variant of the virus may make the current vaccine ineffective, he said, but the chance of that happening with this vaccine is very low. Nevertheless, he said, we have to remain absolutely vigilant.

But Kristian Andersen, a virologist at Scripps Research Institute, thinks it is too early to dismiss the risk to vaccines. If the U.K. variant evolved to evade the immune system in immunocompromised patients, those adaptations might help it avoid vaccines. The vaccines would not become useless, but they would become less effective. Fortunately, experiments are underway to test that possibility.

We dont know, but well know soon, Dr. Andersen said.

Benjamin Mueller and Katie Thomas contributed reporting to this article

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The New Covid Strain in the UK: Questions and Answers - The New York Times

The outbreak began at a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, a province southwest of Bangkok and a center of the seafood industry that is home to thousands of migrant workers.

"Today is just the first stage," Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the ministry's permanent secretary, told a news conference. "Further results will show a lot more infections."

He said up to 40,000 people would be tested in Samut Sakhon and nearby provinces, with over 10,000 tests to be conducted by Wednesday.

Migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar, lined up for testing on Sunday, along with some Thais. Most cases identified so far have been asymptomatic, health officials said.

Barbed wire surrounded the market on Sunday as authorities in Bangkok ordered all schools in three districts in the capital that have borders with Samut Sakhon, 45 kilometers (30 miles) away by road, to close until January 4.

The province is due to stay under lockdown and nighttime curfew until January 3, and Kiattiphum said the ministry expected to bring the situation under control in two to four weeks.

'We have to cut epidemic cycle'

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha posted on his Facebook account: "We will have to cut the epidemic cycle quickly. We already have experience in handling it."

Authorities in Bangkok also called on people to step up preventive measures by avoiding gatherings, while entertainment venues and restaurants must observe social distancing.

Organizers of New Year celebrations were told to seek official permission to go ahead, while companies were urged to get staff to work from home if possible.

Neighboring Cambodia meanwhile toughened requirements for people entering the country from Thailand.

Somsak Paneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, said the outbreak was bad news for shrimp exports, up to 30% of which come from Samut Sakhon. Thailand is one of the world's 10 biggest shrimp exporters.

The surge in coronavirus cases comes as Thailand attempts to revive a tourist industry devastated by the pandemic. On Thursday, Thailand eased restrictions to allow more foreign tourists to return.

Additional reporting by CNN's Kocha Olarn and Nectar Gan.

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Thailand had kept its coronavirus cases under control. Now it's testing thousands as it battles a shrimp market outbreak - CNN

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After sharp increases through much of the fall, both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have begun to decline in Ohio.

The 58,752 cases reported over the last week marked the lowest-seven day total since the first days of December, and the number of patients in hospitals across the state the last three days have been at the lowest levels since late November.

Among the possible factors: closing of many schools for in-person instruction starting last month, a 10 p.m. curfew instituted by Gov. Mike DeWine in mid-November, a public awareness effort to encourage people to avoid large holiday gatherings, and possible changes by some hospitals in considering when to admit patients.

Cases are still at a high level, however.

To date there have been 629,354 cases, 35,048 hospitalizations and 8,122 deaths reported by the Ohio Department of Health.

This means that 1-in-19 Ohioans is now known to have contracted the virus at some point this year.

The number of coronavirus cases reported by the state of Ohio has dropped each of the last four days, and the seven-day average is now near early-December levels.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

There were 4,807 coronavirus patients hospitalized across the state, according to the preliminary count for Monday from the Ohio Hospital Association, down from the record of 5,308 on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Among the patients, 1,164 were being cared for in intensive care units, down from a record 1,318 on Tuesday.

On Sept. 22, the first day of fall, there were just 590 patients, including 199 in intensive care units, before shooting up sharply.

Thirty-two percent of the states hospital beds were reported vacant on Sunday, including 25% of the intensive care unit beds, though some regions and individual hospitals have reported operating near capacity.

The number of coronavirus patients in Ohio hospitals has dropped below recent highs, according to daily surveys by the Ohio Hospital Association.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The 58,752 cases reported in the last week represented a 10.3% increase from a week ago, increasing from 570,602 to 629,354. The number reported declined each of the last four days, from 11,412, to 9,684, to 8,567, to 8,377 and finally to 6,548 on Monday.

There were 571 deaths reported in the last week, up 7.6% from 7,551 a week ago to 8,122 currently.

The reporting of deaths often lags weeks from when a person died, as state health officials await confirmations from coroners reports. November was the deadliest month to date, claiming at least 1,389 lives. Because of the delays, more recent death data is largely incomplete, but to date 998 deaths occurring in December have been reported.

The state reported 7,271,494 tests to date. This includes 364,448 in the last week.

Testing has dipped recently. During the previous four weeks, there were 405,022, 396,199, 387,155 and 415,682 tests reported.

Fewer coronavirus tests have been conducted in Ohio in recent weeks.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The health department estimates that 454,354 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, 166,878 Ohioans currently have the coronavirus, down from a record of 170,486 on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

The estimated number of active coronavirus cases in Ohio has dropped.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state is now reporting that the onset of symptoms was as early as January for 173 cases, with nine January cases added in just the last week. The seven earliest cases date to Jan. 2. Just in the last week, the health department added 24 cases from January.

The age range for cases is from under 1 to 111. The median age is 43 for all cases, and 80 for deaths.

The health department last updated the number of deaths for nursing home patients on Wednesday, with a total of 4,361 representing close to 56% 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 (58), in their 40s (111), in their 50s (426), in their 60s (1,097), in their 70s (2,110) and at least 80 years old (4,303). 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 (719), in their 20s (1,398), in their 30s (1,908), in their 40s (2,813), in their 50s (5,156), in their 60s (7,452), in their 70s (8,221) and at least 80 years old (7,369).

Coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations by age group in Ohio.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The counties with the most deaths are Cuyahoga (863), Franklin (695) and Lucas (505), with 40 more deaths 38 Cuyahoga, two in Franklin and 22 in Lucas.

For the deaths in which race was reported, 82% of the people are white, and 14% are Black. For total cases, 73% are white and 14% Black. Ohios population is 82% white and 13% Black, census estimates say.

Among all cases reported to date, 35,048 have been hospitalized, including 5,537 in intensive care, up from 32,264 hand 5,209 a week ago.

The counties with the most cases are Franklin (76,188), Cuyahoga (63,047) and Hamilton (47,264). 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, 200,000 on Oct. 26, 300,000 on Nov. 16, 400,000 on Nov. 28, 500,000 on Dec. 8 and 600,000 on Friday, Dec. 18.

Here is the growth in the running total of coronavirus cases reported in Ohio from March 9 through Monday, Dec. 21.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

The state on April 10 began new reporting standards to include more types of testing and cases identified from non-testing evidence. This has resulted in 58,550 probable cases being included in the total cases reported for Ohio to date, up from 48,135 a week ago.

Corrections in the data are made from day to day by the state. Sometimes the state has reduced the number of cases in individual counties from one day to the next as corrected residency information is received.

The chart below is based on the most recent case data from the Ohio Department of Health. Cleveland.com calculated the cases per 100,000 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.

Note to readers: There will not be a weekly update published on Dec. 28.

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

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Mapping Ohios 629,354 coronavirus cases; update, trends show drop in hospitalizations and cases - cleveland.com