Scientists work in a lab testing COVID-19 samples at New York City’s health department, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York, April 23, 2020.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
New York state is running about 1,000 genome tests per week to look for new, more infectious Covid variants, the state’s chief physician Howard Zucker said at a press conference Friday.
“The new strains are frightening: the U.K. strain, Brazil strain, now the South Africa strain,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at the briefing. “The U.K. strain is here.”
Zucker said the state has run roughly 6,000 genome tests so far and has only found the strain that originated in the U.K. New York officials have identified 25 of those cases so far, including two new cases in Westchester County and one new case in Kings County, Cuomo said. None of those cases have resulted in fatalities, according to Zucker.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters Friday there is “some evidence” the mutated strain could also be more deadly than the original one from Wuhan, China.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously said there’s no evidence that any of the new variants are more lethal or cause more severe illness.
When asked about the potential of a higher degree of mortality associated with the U.K. strain, Zucker said he is in contact with the U.K. science advisor and that the evidence is still preliminary.
“The fact that it’s more transmissible means that there are going to be more cases. If there are more cases, there’s more hospitalizations, and with more hospitalizations obviously there’s a risk of more deaths,” Zucker said.
Cuomo said at the briefing he hopes President Joe Biden’s new administration will ramp up vaccine production and allow for increased vaccine distribution. New York has administered as least one dose of the vaccine to more than 975,000 people as of Thursday, according to the state’s vaccine tracker.
“The U.K. strain is spreading. We still are only at 60-70% vaccination rate of our hospital workers. This is a problem,” Cuomo said.
Related Post
Feb
The Health Benefits of Deep Breathing (and 4 Easy Techniques!)
Breathing is a characteristic and compulsory activity that occurs for our bodies to take in and discharge air. An expected activity assists our bodies with working through daily existence. Breathing assists our respiratory framework with moving oxygen in and out,.
Read MoreFeb
How a Growing Crisis of Loneliness Is Affecting Americans Health
America has another scourge. It can't be dealt with utilizing conventional treatments despite the fact that it has crippling and, surprisingly, dangerous outcomes. The issue leaking in at the sides of our networks is depression and U.S. Top health spokesperson Dr..
Read MoreFeb
The Cost of Loneliness in Retirement
While we frequently stress over saving enough for retirement, the expense of depression is ascending as an equivalent danger to a blissful, solid retirement. Yet, there are steps you can take now to fabricate your social capital. Depression and social confinement.
Read MoreFeb
10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal malignant growth is the subsequent driving reason for disease related passings, influencing millions around the world. As per the American Malignant growth Society, around 1 out of 20 individuals will be determined to have colorectal disease during their lifetime..
Read More