Variant In CO

From News Nation:

“First known US case of coronavirus variant detected in Colorado man with no travel history”

The first known case of the coronavirus variant in the United States has been detected in Colorado, according to Gov. Jared Polis and state health officials. The variant, known as B.1.1.7, is considered more contagious — a warning health officials in the United Kingdom have been raising since it was first discovered by scientists in the country. The individual is a male in his 20s who is currently recovering in isolation in Elbert County, Colorado, according to Gov. Jared Polis. The individual has no travel history and will remain in isolation until cleared by public health officials. “There is a lot we don’t know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious,” said Polis. “The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely. We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels.” Contact tracing is underway to determine who may have been exposed to the man in Elbert County. The variant is not believed to be accompanied by more severe symptoms and current COVID-19 vaccines are thought to be effective against it. “The fact that Colorado has detected this viriant first in the nation is a testament to the sophistication of Colorado’s response and the talent of CDPHE’s scientist and lab operations,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We are currently using all the tools available to protect public health and mitigate the spread of this variant.”

The following information comes from CDPHE and describes the genetic differences of this variant: The Colorado state lab was the first in the country to quickly identify the variant through sophisticated analysis of testing samples. The lab initially performed the diagnostic PCR test on the sample and found that the sample was positive for COVID-19 with strong signals for the N gene and ORF1ab (both are detected when a person has COVID-19), but the signal for the S gene was not detected. When the S gene doesn’t register in the testing, it is called an “S Drop Out Profile,” and it is considered an essential signature for the variant. The sample was flagged for further investigation. Scientists then sequenced the viral genome from the patient sample and found eight mutations specific to the spike protein gene associated with this variant. Genome sequencing is a molecular profiling of the entire viral RNA sequence.

^ Things will only get much worse around the United States until at least January 20, 2021 (22 days from now) when Biden becomes President. Trump has never cared about keeping Americans safe or alive from Covid-19 and now he lives in a make-believe world where all he does is golf. His inactions and misinformation has led to millions of Americans getting infected and hospitalized and hundreds of thousands of Americans dying from Covid-19. His Presidential Legacy will be one with a dark stain on it with the preventable deaths of American men, women and children. Hopefully, Biden will kick-out everyone who served under Trump  - all his lackeys and “Yes” Men/Women and put in people who will actually get the job done and save lives. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/first-known-case-of-coronavirus-variant-in-u-s-detected-in-colorado/