U.K., California variants combine for first case of hybrid COVID-19

  • Page Views 1502
  • Media organizations reported Wednesday (February 17) that the homegrown COVID-19 variant sweeping California has combined with the highly-contagious UK variant.

    The result is yet another mutation, a hybrid virus.

    This has started to spark fears that the new resulting virus will be more contagious.

    A sample from California showed a recombination of the B117 strain first detected in the UK and the California B1429 one being blamed on a surge in cases in Los Angeles.

    It was discovered by Bette Korber at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

    Such recombination of variants is feared because it can create even more dangerous variants.

    Reports describe the combination of the two variants as an “anomaly”.

    Researchers in New Mexico believed it is the first recorded “recombination event” of the COVID-19 pandemic between a variant of SARS-CoV-2 that originated in the UK and another from California.

    It’s unclear how much of a threat the new recombinant could be as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

    The pandemic has already infected nearly 110 million people worldwide.

    The combination of the more transmissible B117 variant from the UK with the B1429 variant from California, which is reportedly able to resist some antibodies, is worrisome to epidemiologists.

    With the emergence of more variants of the novel coronavirus, recombination may pose a bigger threat since it can occur when someone is exposed to two different strains at once.

    There are a variety of factors that impact the transmissibility of a virus.

    These include human behaviour, population structure and immunity levels.

    As of February 17, Canada has a total of 834,182 recorded cases of COVID-19.

    In the last seven days, 20, 200 new cases were reported, and 431 deaths were reported in that time period.

    Canada has a total of 779,761 recovery cases. A total of 21,435 deaths have been recorded in the country.

    In B.C., provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix reported on February 17 a total of 427 new cases.

    This brings the number of cases in B.C. to a total of 74,710.
    There are 4,150 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., as of February 17.

    There are 232 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 63 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

    Currently, 7,238 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases. A further 69,167 people who tested positive have recovered.

    To date, 176,015 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in B.C., 26,030 of which are second doses.

    There have been three new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 1,317 deaths in British Columbia, as of February 17.

    In the Philippines, the total number of COVID-19 cases reached 553,424 on February 17 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,184 newly confirmed infections.

    However, it does not include data from three laboratories that failed to submit results on time.

    This is the lowest daily tally in nearly three weeks and the fifth straight day that additional COVID-19 cases counted fewer than 2,000.

    The DOH also reported 271 additional recovered patients, bringing the total number of recoveries to 512,033, or 92.5 percent of the total cases.

    The death toll rose by 53 on February 17, bringing the Philippines’ total to 11,577.

    Of the 29,814 active cases, 85.4 perent have mild symptoms, 8.5 percent are asymptomatic, 2.6 percent are in critical condition, 2.6 percent have severe symptoms, and 0.83 percent have moderate symptoms.

    The Philippines expects the arrival of its initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines this February, to be administered first to health workers.

    The Philippines confirmed its first COVID-19 case on January 30, 2020, involving a Chinese woman who arrived from Wuhan City, China where the disease is believed to have first emerged.

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 14 March 2024
      5 days ago No comment

      Mable endorses campaign for Benson Flores marker

      Mable Elmore is supporting the campaign to raise funds for a memorial marker for pioneer immigrant Benson Flores. Elmore is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Vancouver-Kensington, which is also home to Mountain View Cemetery where Flores is buried in an unmarked grave. MLA Elmore ...

    • 07 March 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      Quiboloy church linked to fake marriages in Canada

      Some 100 allegedly fraudulent marriages in Canada are connected to the religious group led by the spiritual adviser of now former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. This stunning allegation was made on March 5, 2024 by Dindo Maquiling, a former follower of Apollo Quiboloy. Maquiling is a former executive director ...

    • 07 March 2024
      2 weeks ago No comment

      MP Valdez Visits Vancouver

      Liberal MP Rechie Valdez visited Vancouver to meet with BC Business owners at the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA) Catering in Richmond recently. The meet and greet was an opportunity for local businesses to dialogue directly with Valdez whose portfolio includes small businesses. The roundtable discussion was led ...

    • 29 February 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Minimum wage increases to $17.40 an hour on June 1 VICTORIA

      For Immediate Release Feb. 26, 2024 VICTORIA – B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024. This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023. The alternate minimum ...

    • 29 February 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      BC Cabinet Minister Lana Popham declares Filipino Cultural Centre project a “Go!”

      February 21, 2024 Mabuhay House Society PRESS RELEASE For more information, please contact Sammie Jo Rumbaua at chair@mabuhayhouse.ca BC Cabinet Minister Lana Popham declares Filipino Cultural Centre project a “Go!” Vancouver – The Filipino-Canadian community’s decades-long journey for a provincial Filipino Cultural Centre took another historic step forward recently ...

    %d bloggers like this: