TULSA — Researchers in the UK recently verified the existence of a new strain of the COVID-19 virus in an area of southeast England, and say genetic evidence indicates it had been active in that area since September.
Unlike most developed countries, the US does not generally run genetic sequences when testing for the virus, so it wasn’t clear if the new variant had spread here, nor how pervasive it might be.
Once health officials began looking, it quickly cropped up in Colorado, within a couple hours’ drive time of the Oklahoma panhandle.
Naturally, news of a new mutation raises a lot of questions for people.
Wednesday, its presence was confirmed in California, and researchers there will study whether its presence contributed to a major spike in cases in that state.
The most urgent are: Is the new strain more deadly? Will the current vaccines still work? And should social distancing and other public health measures be increased?
Dr. Dale Bratzler, Chief COVID officer for OU Health, said Wednesday that the consensus in the medical community, and the research conducted so far, indicates it is no more deadly to individual patients than the previously known variants.
All of the vaccines approved and in use so far in the US seem to still be highly effective.
And, he said, while the new strain is more transmissible, it is still spread the same way - so the same measures of hand washing, social distancing, and masking will still be effective.
However, he warns that the new strain could lead to more cases - and that will mean more hospitalizations, and more deaths.
The current surge in cases is ongoing, and expected to peak about two weeks after Christmas.
Oklahoma could see yet another spike following New Year’s celebrations, depending on how people behave.