You’ve probably heard about a new coronavirus variant that has swept across the United Kingdom in recent weeks, and many people are asking questions about it.
Health experts have concluded that the new coronavirus mutation does spread more quickly than COVID-19, but now they are trying to confirm if the new vaccines will block the virus.
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, data from Britain indicates the vaccines will still block the variant. But the U.S. will do tests to confirm the data.
In Florida, a man in his 20s in Martin County was the first to be infected with the strain in the state. Oddly enough, the man has had no history of travel. The Department of Health and the CDC is still investigating the case.
Meanwhile, in and around Sebastian, many people ages 65 and older are anxiously awaiting the vaccine.
Sebastian Daily confirmed with both the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County and Indian River County that all appointments are full, but they say a second shipment will be available this coming week. We will keep you posted.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Florida skyrocketed to nearly 17,000 on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, after testing more than 166,000 people, with a percent positive of about 11 percent.
However, the number of deaths is still low across Florida.
For Sebastian, we have seen an increase during the past three weeks. For example, there have been 878 cases so far since the pandemic began. Currently, we are averaging 20 new cases per day in Sebastian.
There’s no reason to panic about the growing number of cases, as Sebastian is still far better off than most Florida cities. Also, don’t fear the new coronavirus variant. According to experts, the current vaccines appear to block it.
Please practice social distancing, wear a mask when in gatherings, and wash your hands regularly.
