How Did We Get Here? Faced with New COVID-19 Strains that are More Infectious

Now more than ever, it is critically important for everyone to follow all the health and safety protection measures instituted in work and business places. Despite the availability of vaccines, the COVID-19 strain has mutated. It has evolved into becoming a more infectious form of virus tagged by UK virology experts as the B.1.1.7 strain.

What is more confounding about the new developments is the fact that a strain that is even more infectious than the B.1.1.7 mutation has emerged as a second strain in South Africa, and called 501.V2.

Although the B.1.1.7 strain was first discovered in the UK, virologists have now ascertained that at this point , the new strain has also been detected in 33 countries. U.S. top virologist and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci, has confirmed that the B.1.1.7 strain is already spreading in the states of New York, California, Florida, Colorado and Georgia, and that the possibility that it will soon spread in other states is highly likely.

As nations can no longer afford to put all businesses under complete lockdown for prolonged periods, the next best things to do is to fortify all health and safety protection protocols instituted in all places of businesses; not only for the protection of customers but of the workers as well. Monitoring and enforcing compliance is also a must, whilst displaying reminders and notifications about the health and safety protocols can help minimize, if not avoid the further spread of the new coronavirus strain.

Take the case of New York, which somehow managed to bring down the numbers of daily infection cases to a manageable level, despite the state’s initial record of having the highest number of active cases and deaths. As businesses were given permission to resume operations, albeit in limited capacity, the placing of vinyl banners nyc citizens get to see as constant reminders, helped instill greater consciousness about the health crisis confronting their communities.

Virologists Provide Information on Why the Covid-19 Contagion Has Become More Contagious

While millions of Donald Trump’s supporters were led to believe that COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax perpetrated by the Democratic party, millions of anti-maskers contracted the contagion and have been furthering the spread of the infectious disease. Nonetheless, virologists provide scientific information that will enable people to understand how viruses mutate and while vaccines cannot provide 100% protection against new viral strains produced through mutations.

Through the digital magazine “Health,” explanations shed light on how we got here; still unable to win our battle against COVID-19.

Dr. Charles Bailey, the Medical Director for Infection Prevention of Orange County, CA’s Providence Mission Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital explained that a virus, just like any microorganism, replicates. Through replications, the virus increases its chances of undergoing mutations. As viruses continue to find hosts, the replication activities continue at a faster rate; all the more increasing the possibilities of mutation.

Dr. Supriya Narasimhan, who is the Chief of Infectious Diseases of San Jose, California’s Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, said that the very reason why viruses mutate is because they are carried by varying host cells. Vaccine that is injected in a virus-carrying host puts greater pressure on the microorganisms to adapt in order to thrive. Dr.Narasimhan further explained that not all mutations that transpire are meaningful, which is one reason why vaccines can be effective in preventing the virus from surviving and cause further damage in a vaccinated host’s body.

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