New strains of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus are mutating worldwide and slowly making their way to California, as health officials work to determine whether current vaccines will remain effective against the latest variants.
Dr. Thomas Cesario, an infectious disease specialist based in the city of Orange told The Epoch Times that he’s concerned about newly discovered strains of COVID-19 from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.
The South African variant, called B.1.351, has been discovered in several states but has not yet been reported in Southern California. Early evidence suggests that this variant might not be treatable with the currently available vaccines.
New Variants Raise Worry About Reinfections
Evidence is mounting that COVID-19 survivors may not be protected from reinfection by a variant strain of the virus, new research suggests.In South Africa, a vaccine study found new infections with a variant in 2 percent of people who previously had an earlier version of the CCP virus. In Brazil, several similar cases were documented with a new variant there.
Cuomo Unveils Plan to Revive New York City Arts, Moves up Indoor Dining Reopening
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday unveiled a plan to revive New York City’s renowned arts scene from its pandemic-induced dormancy and also allowed city restaurants to reopen their indoor dining areas sooner than previously announced.The move to promote theater and music across the state, known as “New York Pops Up,” comes amid a steady improvement in the measures of the spread of the CCP virus and after many Broadway and other performers have been idle since last year.
Rep. Ron Wright Dies After Testing Positive, Battle With Lung Cancer
Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas) died Sunday after he tested positive for COVID-19, according to his office. He was 67.Wright, who was in the midst of a battle with cancer, was reelected in November. He was keeping up a vigorous work schedule after he contracted the virus, according to his office. Wright and his wife were taken to Baylor hospital with COVID-19 side effects.
Spring Traveling Canceled for Millions Around the Globe
The annual journeys of late winter and early spring have been canceled, in doubt, or under pressure because of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.Typically during this time of year, factory workers in China head home for the Lunar New Year; American college students go on road trips and hit the beach over spring break; and Germans and Britons flee drab skies for some Mediterranean sun over Easter.
Amid fears of new variants of the virus, new restrictions on movement have hit just as people start to look ahead to what is usually a busy time of year for travel.
Biden: ‘Very Difficult’ to Reach Herd Immunity Before End of Summer
It will be hard to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 before the end of the summer, President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired on Sunday.Herd immunity is a form of protection against a disease. It can be achieved through vaccination or sufficient spread of a disease among the population. The United States has steadily increased the pace of vaccinations against the CCP virus which causes COVID-19, but reaching a level where herd immunity is believed to be possible will take nearly a year at the current rate.
Daily Cases in US Drop to Lowest Level in Months
The number of new daily COVID-19 infections fell below 100,000 for the first time this year, according to Sunday figures published by Johns Hopkins University.Newly reported infections dropped from Saturday’s 104,015 down to 88,044 on Sunday, according to the tally.
Argentina Detects First Cases of Brazilian Variants
Argentina has detected the first cases of two Brazilian variants of the CCP virus in travelers from the neighboring nation, the government said on Monday.“The Amazonas P1 variant was recently detected in two samples, and the Rio de Janeiro P2 variant in two other travelers. All of them from Brazil,” Argentina’s Minister of Health Ginés González García said on Twitter. The country has recorded nearly 2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of 49,171 deaths.
UK Boy Wakes From Nearly Year-Long Coma Unaware of Pandemic
A British teenager is slowly emerging from a coma nearly a year after being hit by a car, and he has no knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic even though he has caught the virus twice.Joseph Flavill, 19, suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by the car in the central English town of Burton-on-Trent on March 1 last year, about three weeks before a first national lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the virus.
Mandatory Hotel Quarantines Could Harm Lower Income Canadians: Lawyer
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is questioning Ottawa’s move to require hotel quarantines for international travelers, saying it may harm lower-income Canadians and infringe on citizens’ mobility rights.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more than two weeks ago that travelers flying back from abroad will have to quarantine at a federally mandated hotel for up to three days at their own expense, though he acknowledged that only a fraction of COVID-19 cases appear to stem from overseas trips.
Jack, Bradley, Jack Phillips, Tom Ozimek, Zachary Stieber, Reuters, The Canadian Press, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
