On Friday Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted some pandemic restrictions in Illinois but that action may be short lived due to the highly contagious virus that’s in town. The “Land of Lincoln” has documented its first case of the UK’s variant of Covid-19 according to Chicago public health officials. The SARS-CoV2 strain B.1.1.7 was first discovered in the United Kingdom during a study of Covid-19 samples by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. This Covid-19 mutation spreads easier but is not currently presumed to be deadlier or more severe. The “B.1.1.7″ strain has the potential to dominate in the United States according to the “CDC” which reported that it had already been found in 12 states and throughout more than 30 countries.
“Modeling data indicate that B.1.1.7 has the potential to increase the U.S. pandemic trajectory in the coming months” according to the CDC’s report.
They went on to say “The modeled trajectory of this variant in the U.S. exhibits rapid growth in early 2021, becoming the predominant variant in March.” The CDC is also keeping a close watch on a different variant seen in South Africa (B.1.1.28) acknowledging that these divergents host a “constellation of genetic mutations” @CNN.
BY: BEWITTY Staff
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