Cuomo: First South African COVID-19 case in New York in Nassau

The South African COVID-19 mutant was found in a resident of Nassau County, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said on Sunday in the first confirmed case of a mutant contracted by someone living in New York.

In a news release, Cuomo showed that the sequence performed on a sample of individuals performed at a New York City laboratory and confirmed at the Wadsworth Center laboratory in the state contained a South African variant. Said that.

Jordan Carmon, a spokesman for Laura Curran, Nassau County executive, said the individual lives in Glen Head.

Scientists and health officials believe that South African and UK COVID-19 variants appear to spread faster than current predominant strains, but determine whether the response to current vaccines is fatal or low. Further research is needed to do so.

According to the Johns Hopkins Medical College Coronavirus Resource Center, there have been more than 28 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States since the pandemic began a year ago.

As of Sunday afternoon, the country was on the verge of reaching a tough milestone of 500,000 deaths. However, the state’s first case announcement of South African strains came when the proportion of positive COVID-19 cases in New York fell below 3% for the first time since November 23.

A South African variant was first identified in South Carolina, USA at the end of last month. Residents of Connecticut, who are hospitalized in New York City, were also found to have the variant last week, Kuomo said.

As of Saturday, 136 UK variants of COVID-19 were detected in the state, including 10 in Nassau County and 12 in Suffolk County.

According to experts, it is likely that Glenhead residents who were positive for the South African variant are not the only long islanders to own the strain.

Dr. David Hirschwerk, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Interim Dean of Medicine at Hofstra / Northwell, Hempstead, said: “Currently, only a small percentage of positive tests are being sequenced. These types of tests will steadily increase.”

Complex genomic sequencing tests help researchers track COVID-19 variants. Last week, the Associated Press said White House officials did not have enough laboratories nationwide to process samples for COVID-19 genomic sequencing, nearly two to expand it to about 25,000 samples per week. He reported that he had promised $ 100 million. This is about three times the current level.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, British scientists confirm the finding, although the mutant “may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other mutants.” Needs further research.

The CDC said both UK and South African variants appear to spread more easily and quickly than other variants. They still do not know how widespread they are and how they can affect vaccines, tests and COVID-19 therapy.

“(South African strains) are probably easier to spread, but exactly how much, and whether it’s more toxic-that information is really pending,” Hirschwerk said.

Although there is uncertainty about how effective the available COVID-19 vaccine is against mutants, Hirschwerk urged people to be vaccinated at the right time. Vaccination, he said, would at least reduce the likelihood of developing a severe form of the disease, even if infected with the mutant.

“Not only is this the reason, but the tremendous benefits of getting the vaccine remain. [South African] Strains are probably still a small part of the strains we see, but vaccines have strong advantages over standard strains as well as UK strains, “he said.

The state recorded 6,610 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. This includes 546 in Nassau County and 513 in Suffolk County. Based on the test results of 221,157, the daily positive rate was 2.99%. According to state statistics, it remained high at 4.2% on Long Island.

The new numbers show a continuous decline in the number of new cases after the surge after the holiday season. On January 5, the state had a daily positive rate of 8.4%.

“The good news is that aggressiveness and hospitalizations continue to decline across the state, and this development can further open the valve for the economy,” Kuomo said in a statement. “But with the discovery of South African variants in the state, it’s more important than ever for New Yorkers to stay vigilant, wear masks, wash their hands, and stay socially distant. These variants that are vaccinated and actively proliferating — and will only win the race if we are smart and disciplined. “

The state recorded 75 additional deaths at COVID-19 on Saturday, four in Nassau County and nine in Suffolk County.

“I don’t think the South African variant is more deadly, but it can be highly contagious. The best response is to wear a mask, avoid social gatherings, and move away,” Karan said in a statement. It’s about continuing the true precautions of trial and error, such as staying. Go home and get tested when you’re sick. ”

It was not possible to ask Suffolk authorities for comment on the existence of South African variants in Nassau.

According to the state, a winter storm delayed federal shipments, affecting efforts to vaccinate more than 10 million eligible New Yorkers against COVID-19. According to state statistics, more than 2.2 million people in the state receive the first dose of the vaccine and more than 1.1 million receive the second dose.

To date, Long Island has received a total of 416,577 first and second doses.

With Jesse Coburn

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Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. Previously, he was in charge of politics, government and general missions at amNewYork, New York Daily News and Asbury Park Press.