COVID-19 Variant Emerged in Washington Heights Expands Rapidly Across NYC’s Five Boroughs

Photo: Fernando Martínez / Impremedia

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The news ‘New York’ variants of COVID-19, which appeared for the first time in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, and the strain of UK, they continue spreading at high speed in the Big Apple.

According to a report presented this Wednesday by the New York City Health authorities, these coronavirus strains represent the 51% of all new cases current in all five counties.

Specifically the variant of Washington Heights represents on average 2 out of 5 new cases positives reported in recent days.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a “Aggressive investigation” in the last week to gain a better understanding of the three main variants ‘of interest’: the UK, South Africa and Brazil, as well as the called New York City strain It originated in Washington Heights late last year and is rapidly spreading to other counties.

Specifically this latest New York variant, named as B1526, has solidified its presence in the city. He was present at the 39% of positive samples studied in the most recent week, compared to 31% in the previous week, confirmed the commissioner of the City Department of Health (DOHMH), el Dr. Dave Chokshi.

In principle: it is not more deadly

Given the fears and rumors that this coronavirus is more deadly and makes fun of the new vaccines administered in the city, the Dr Jay Varma, advisor Mayor’s Chief Public Health Officer, clarified: “Our preliminary analysis does not show that this new strain cause more serious illness or reduce the effectiveness of immunization. It is important to emphasize that this is preliminary ”.

The UK variant (B117) has also been becoming more common in the city, showing up in the 12% of the samples studied recently, compared to 8% in the previous sample.

However, a British study described that the B117 strain that has been spreading across the country, may be between a 30% and 70% more lethal, than the original strain of the virus.

In contrast the City health team reiterated that for now there is nothing conclusive to show that this virus that spreads in New York “is more deadly compared to the one that emerged a year ago.”

No special tests are required

The ‘top doctor’ of the City, the Dr. Chokshi, was specific in ensuring that no one needs a special test to determine if they are positive for any of the new types of COVID-19.

“We urge people to continue testing on a regular basis. Viruses are cunning. They adapt and change ”, he said.

In the midst of the versions found about the dangerousness of the new variants detected in the Big Apple, Health officials assured that the deaths and serious hospitalizations have been decreasing due to vaccination of the population at risk.

The positivity rate in the city it is currently 6.23%, while the average number of infections across the state is 3.16%.

New York City is the only one in the country that carries out a weekly monitoring of the prevalence of the variants, said spokespersons for the municipal government.

B1526 in 15 states

The United States has recorded approximately 735 cases of the ‘NY variant’ of the coronavirus that emerged in the last two weeks, national media reported.

Infections associated with type B1526 are now spread across 15 states.

Anthony Fauci, one of the main medical advisers of the presidente Joe Biden said that it is “one of the five worrisome variants that health officials are now tracking nationally ”.

Two scientific research teams discovered this variant for the first time in November in samples collected in New York City, specifically in the Washington Heights neighborhood. home mainly to Dominican communities.

The new variants in NYC:

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