Officials: Evidence of a British virus strain found in Florida Man

A new variant of the virus was detected in a man in his twenties in Martin County, adjacent to the Atlantic coast above densely populated South Florida, according to a Florida health statement. Experts said they are working with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case.

The health department did not provide details such as publicizing the condition of men or detecting tension.

California on Wednesday became the second state to see cases of new virus strains. The announcement came 24 hours after the first reported US subspecies infection in Colorado. Colorado National Guard was dispatched to assist a nursing home suffering from an outbreak.

British scientists believe that the mutant is more contagious than previously identified strains. The incident raised questions about how the version in circulation in the UK arrived in the United States, and whether it’s too late to stop it now, top experts say it’s probably elsewhere in the United States. Says it has already spread to the location of.

The Florida Department of Health tweeted late Thursday, and experts are working on the overwhelming demand for vaccines from large elderly people with little or no effect on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination deployed in the state. I don’t expect it to have any impact.

Also on Thursday, state officials reported the highest daily surge of COVID-19 cases ever detected in Florida. The state’s Ministry of Health reported 17,192 new cases and 133 new deaths, increasing the number of casualties to 21,857.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says people over the age of 65 (more than 4 million of Florida’s 21 million population) are prioritized over the workers essential for vaccination. I will. However, hospitals and the health sector are struggling to keep up with demand.

People clogged the hotline to make reservations, some seniors camped overnight outside the vaccination site, and some hospitals suspended further shot schedules.

The traffic event spread about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the headquarters of the Health Department near the St. Johns County Municipal Complex in St. Augustine, and some said they waited for the shot for hours.

DeSantis pleaded for patience from anxious older people, saying that vaccine supplies were still limited. However, the state’s chief executive officer, who oversees the distribution of vaccines, also acknowledged that the system set up to distribute vaccines in the state “does not meet that moment.”

In an interview with Orlando Sentinel, Jared Moskowitz, head of the Florida Emergency Management Agency, ordered the state to distribute about 700,000 cocktails, but only about four have been used so far. He said it was only a fraction.

“It tells me that there is a vaccine in the freezer … we want all our partners to know that it’s their job to get the vaccine out,” Moskowitz said. Told.

Moskowitz also expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government for sending limited information about the doses transmitted. This complicates state planning.

Meanwhile, hospitalizations for COVID-19 are still increasing. The state bed survey counted 6,352 coronavirus cases by late Thursday morning. This is a slight increase from 6,331 on Wednesday, but much more than the sum for the day of October.

Republican Maria Elbaila Salazar, who defeated Democratic U.S. Congressman Donna Sharala in November, learned she was infected with the virus when she made an emergency trip to a hospital to treat her arrhythmia. ..

Her office announced Thursday that Salazar would be treated, released, quarantined for at least 14 days and missed the Sunday oath ceremony of the 117th Congress in Washington.

In a tweet, Salazar said: We look forward to getting going for the community once it becomes medically acceptable. “

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Atlanta Associated Press writer Bill Cormier contributed to this report.

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