Category: Health

The Covid-19 mutation first identified in South African has now surfaced in South Carolina & Maryland. Maryland announced it’s first case on Saturday and has ensured citizens that thorough contact tracing is underway. While South Carolina acknowledged the variants presence on Thursday. Health officials in both states are concerned due to the variation being more contagious and easier to transmit than the original virus.

The CDC released a statement on the South African variant saying the “CDC is aware that the first US documented cases of the B .351 variant of SARS-CoV2, which was first detected in South Africa, have been identified in South Carolina.

“CDC is early in it’s efforts to understand this variant and will continue to provide updates as we learn more. At this time we have no evidence that infections by this variant cause more severe disease. Like the UK and Brazilian variants, preliminary data suggests this variant may spread more easily and quickly than other variants.”

Clinical trial results have shown that the mutations are reducing the vaccines potency and fear it will undermine efforts to vastly vaccinate. Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke on the Covid-19 variants stating “Clearly, the mutants have a diminishing effect on the efficacy of the vaccines. We can see that we are going to be challenged.”

A researcher for Harvard’s medical school namely “Dr. Dan Barouch said “it’s a different pandemic now.” Pfizer’s Chief Executive said the variants have a “high possibility” of causing the currently crafted doses to be ineffective but did remain optimistic saying “science will prevail” according to the Business Insider.

BY: BEWITTY Staff

California has surpassed New York as the deadliest state due to covid-19 after a month long increase in cases. It’s health department reported 669 coronavirus deaths on Saturday bringing the states total fatalities to 32, 960. Los Angeles’s spiraling covid-19 infections rates pushed California over the top claiming half of the states totals. LA has one million people who are covid-19 positive. Those numbers make them the first U.S. city to attain the landmark. Scientist are rationalizing how the grim milestone was reached.

Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo is a epidemiologist at the University of California San Francisco and stated “L.A. is a pretty large, complex county with factors like overcrowding, poverty and a large essential workforce. Those things came together at a time in the pandemic where we also see a lot of fatigue and the lessening of adherence to the basic things one has to do to stay safe, like wearing a mask.”

Public Health officials have credited the ease of restrictions in November as the reason for the rise which included celebrations that ensued when the Dodgers won the World Series @ NBC.

As of Sunday morning California had confirmed 2.97 million covid-19 cases and 33,393 deaths. Los Angeles slightly upticked with 13,996 new cases and 252 additional deaths.

BY: BEWITTY Staff

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

A new strain of covid-19 will have Britons pulling out the monopoly boards and updating their laptops starting Monday as recent lockdown restrictions reinstate. England’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson released a statement regarding the highly contagious covid-19 variant saying “As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic” according to the AP. Despite Britain’s efforts to speed up it’s vaccination program the virus has still managed to pummel London’s healthcare system with 26,626 people currently hospitalized marking a 30% increase from last week. Many people were already under binding restrictions due to the current strain being easier to transmit. The head medical officer warned that without swift action “there is a material risk of the National Health Service in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.” The U.K.’s covid-19 spinoff has also been detected in Saratoga Springs, New York marking the first case in the state.

BY: BEWITTY Staff

The ceiling shattering Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received her first antidote of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday morning. Harris decided to receive the dose in an effort to boost public support of the vaccine. She reacted after the process was complete saying “That was easy! Thank you. I just barely felt it. I barely felt it,” she continued saying “I look forward to getting the second vaccine. Literally this is about saving lives. I trust the scientist and it is the scientist who created and approved the vaccine.” While also encouraging “everyone” when it’s “their turn to get vaccinated.”

BY: BEWITTY Staff

Advocate Condell Medical Center in the Chicagoland area has halted Covid-19 vaccinations after a quartet of it’s staff members experienced adverse reactions to the shots. Four employees reported experiencing tingling and irregular heart rates not long after receiving the vaccine according to the hospital. An Advocate spokesperson released the following statement “These four team members represent fewer than 0.15% of the approximately 3,000 who have received vaccinations across Advocate Aurora Health. At this time, we can share three team members are home and doing well, and one is receiving additional treatment.” The medical center has reportedly paused administering the doses while they further research the cause @ABC.

BY: BEWITTY Staff