Variant cases of COVID-19 continued to be identified in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, public health officials said Saturday.
Although the variants first detected in California (B.1.427/429) have been dominant in the past in Los Angeles County, the most common circulating variant of concern in the metropolitan area with over 10 million residents is now the variant first detected in UK (B.1.1.7), according to the county's Department of Public Health.
Of the 40 specimens analyzed by the Los Angeles County Public Health Laboratory in the past week, 53 percent were the B.1.1.7 variant and none were the B.1.427/429 variants. The lab also detected 6 cases of P.1 variant which was first found in Brazil last week and one case of B.1.351 variant first detected in South Africa, said the department in a daily update.
The department noted that the identification of these variants and the news of spreading variants from across the globe highlights the need for Los Angeles County residents to continue to take measures to protect themselves and others and it's particularly true for those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Public health Officials pointed out in the update that recent research findings provide added evidence that the currently available vaccines appear to be highly effective against the variants of concern that are circulating here now.
Officials cited a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which showed that over the last few months, during a period when the current viral variants have been circulating widely, vaccines reduced the risk of getting sick with COVID-19 by 94 percent among fully vaccinated healthcare workers.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 265 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 new deaths on Saturday, bringing its cumulative cases up to over 1.23 million with 24,166 related deaths.
