The first two US cases have been confirmed on Thursday in the state of South Carolina of a new strain of the novel coronavirus, said to be more contagious than the original strain.
The first two US cases have been confirmed on Thursday in the state of South Carolina of a new strain of the novel coronavirus, said to be more contagious than the original strain.
The new variant found in the US is apparently the variant that started in the country of South Africa, and is quickly working its way around the world.
The State recently reported:
"South Carolina public health officials were notified late Wednesday by the CDC of a South Carolina sample that was tested at LabCorp and determined to be the B.1.351 variant originally identified in South Africa, according to the release. Also, DHEC’s Public Health Laboratory tested samples Monday, and on Wednesday identified a separate case of the same variant, health officials said."
At this point, there is no known connection regarding travel to explain either of these two new cases and/or trace them.
Experts are saying that existing vaccines are expected to work just as well against this and any other new strain of the novel coronavirus. Also, while these new strains are more contagious, it appears that they aren't any more likely to cause illness or death than their counterparts.
Loading this lets YouTube set cookies and collect data.
View on YouTubeLibby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
