Local doctor weighs in on new virus strain found in Florida - WCTV

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A new wrinkle in the fight against COVID-19 has appeared: a more-contagious variant of the virus has been found in Florida.

So, what does that mean for you at home?

Medical experts say this variant originated overseas, but it’s quickly spreading across the globe.

WCTV’s Dr. Christie Alexander said she wasn’t surprised to learn this mutation had made its way here to Florida given what’s she heard about its transmissibility.

Thursday, health officials in Martin County confirmed this UK-originated variant had been detected in a COVID-19 positive patient.

Dr. Alexander says the virus isn’t proving to be more lethal than what we’ve seen, but that it is another wakeup call to keep wearing masks, avoid large gatherings and social distance.

She also said medical experts expected to see this difficult virus mutate during this pandemic.

“Mutations with viruses occur all the time, we see that with the general common cold all the way to the flu virus, it’s very common for viruses to mutate. We just hadn’t see one that was a functional mutation as of now,” Dr. Alexander said.

One piece of good news early on here is that experts think the COVID-19 vaccine will still provide protection against this new variant.

Dr. Alexander says the biggest concern is the speed of transmission possibly overwhelming hospitals, so we’ll keep a close eye on what happens.

Let's block ads! (Why?)