In a media briefing on Friday afternoon, officials from the Department of Public Health in Fresno County said they were informed by the state that three people tested positive for the coronavirus variant in the UK or “B.1.1.7”, as is officially known.
“In many ways, it’s like we’re back in the first few months of the pandemic,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, a health officer in Fresno County.
Health department contact locators have already contacted all people infected with the variant and are working to isolate people they may have come in contact with.
B.1.1.7 is one of the so-called “concerns” and has been found to be 40 to 80 percent more transmissible. It was first detected in the United Kingdom, where it spread rapidly and caused a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
“We don’t know if this is the dominant strain,” said Dr. Vohra. “This is certainly a concern – if it becomes a dominant strain, it will actually create a real slippage in our ability to take care of people.”
Health officials say that this variant of coronavirus not only spreads more easily than others, but is even more deadly. They acknowledged that the three cases are probably “just the tip of the iceberg” and there are probably many more cases of these strains that cause cases of COVID in Fresno County.
Dr. Vohra said that the rates of the cases are decreasing, but he said that now they are starting to apply, which he partly blames on the variants.
Health officials said vaccinations will help prevent further spread, but also urge residents to continue to take precautions.
Vohra said, “Don’t be on guard. We are still in the “purple” or in the widespread community here in Fresno County, compared to the rest of the state. So we still have a lot of infections that are being reported every day. “
Research is still ongoing on the effectiveness of each of the vaccines against the UK variant, but experts believe they all help protect people from extreme illness.
County health officials say more than 320,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in Fresno County so far and another 39,000 doses will arrive next week.
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