Coronavirus variants

By: KDKA-TV News Staff PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — University of Pittsburgh officials announced that a confirmed case of the UK coronavirus variant was reported on the Pittsburgh campus. READ MORE: Pittsburgh Public Schools Sets Return Date For Last 2 Groups Of Students According to the university’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office , B.1.1.7 is present on the main campus. “This variant is more transmissible and will likely lead to an increase in cases,” an update Tuesday from the office announced. READ MORE: Kidsburgh: The Legend Behind Pittsburgh's Own Mr. Yuk Pitt also reported the five-day moving average of positive cases per day is 4.6. During Friday’s update, officials said coronavirus cases among students are “spiking.” Tuesday’s update said the Pittsburgh campus is “experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases after two consecutive weekends where students gathered in large numbers.” The COVID-19 Medical Response Office also said in order for in-person events to be … [Read more...] about University Of Pittsburgh Reports Confirmed Case Of UK Coronavirus Variant

(CNN) Two separate teams of researchers said this week they have found a worrying new coronavirus variant in New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast that carries mutations that help it evade the body's natural immune response -- as well as the effects of monoclonal antibody treatments. Genomics researchers have named the variant B.1.526. It appears in people affected in diverse neighborhoods of New York City, they said, and is "scattered in the Northeast." One of the mutations in this variant is the same concerning change found in the variant first seen in South Africa and known as B.1.351. It appears to evade, somewhat, the body's response to vaccines, as well. And it's becoming more common. "We observed a steady increase in the detection rate from late December to mid-February, with an alarming rise to 12.7% in the past two weeks," one team, at Columbia University Medical Center, write in a report that has yet to be published, although it is … [Read more...] about Researchers find worrying new coronavirus variant in New York City

(CNN) A dangerous coronavirus variant is already wreaking havoc in other parts of the world and an expert says it's critical the US sticks with safety measures during the next few months to be able to beat another surge and keep people safe. The B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, is more contagious, may cause more severe disease and is rapidly infecting younger populations, epidemiologist Michael Osterholm told CNN on Tuesday night. Recent research suggests the strain may also be more deadly. "If we can just hold out, if we can just get enough vaccine between now and the summer, we can actually beat this one," Osterholm said. "But... we're impatient." Pfizer/BioNTech says its Covid-19 vaccine is 100% effective and well tolerated in adolescents The variant has already fueled dangerous increases in other countries. In France, where health officials warned last month the variant was rapidly spreading, more than 5,000 … [Read more...] about A dangerous coronavirus variant is wreaking havoc in parts of Europe. Experts fear US could be next

A coronavirus variant spread around Michigan as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) Department of Corrections transferred inmates between prisons. The Detroit Free Press reported : Known cases of the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant inside Michigan’s prison system have more than tripled since the state announced an outbreak at a facility in Ionia last week. … Cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant — first detected in the United Kingdom — have been confirmed at three state prisons: Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Duane Waters Health Center in Jackson and Macomb Correctional Facility in Lenox Township. As of Friday, 292 prisoners and 16 prison employees were infected with the variant, the paper reported. The agency suspected all of the cases were tied to the Bellamy Creek facility: The department transferred some prisoners with comorbidities who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus from Bellamy Creek to Duane Waters and Macomb before the variant was … [Read more...] about Coronavirus Variant Spreads in Michigan Prisons as Gretchen Whitmer Administration Transfers Inmates

A more contagious variant of coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom is now the most common strain of the virus in the United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky Rochelle Walensky Overnight Health Care: UK coronavirus variant now most common strain in US | Over 500K sign up for ObamaCare in special period | EU finds 'possible link' between AstraZeneca vaccine, blood clots The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Pence sets the stage for 2024 UK coronavirus variant now most common strain in US, CDC head says MORE said Wednesday. The announcement highlights the ongoing risks from the virus, given that the variant, known as B.1.1.7, spreads more easily and therefore is more able to cause spikes in cases. "Based on our most recent estimates from CDC surveillance, the B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common lineage circulating in the United States," Walensky said at a White House press briefing. … [Read more...] about UK coronavirus variant now most common strain in US, CDC head says