California's coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: 'The devil is already here'

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Chris Hayes
@chrislhayes
I've been banging the optimism drum recently, but this is the central reason for worry
Registered nurses April McFarland, left, and Tiffany Robbins place a body inside a white bag and zip it closed.
California's coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: 'The devil is already here'
California's homegrown coronavirus strain is more transmissible than its predecessors, is more resistant to vaccines, and may cause more severe cases of COVID-19.
latimes.com
9:05 AM · Feb 23, 2021

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-02-23/california-homegrown-coronavirus-strain-looks-increasingly-transmissible-and-dangerous

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

The U.K. and California variants are each armed with enhanced capabilities, and the likelihood that they could circulate in the same population raises the specter of a return to spiking infections and deaths, Chiu said. It also opens the door to a “nightmare scenario”: That the two viruses will meet in a single person, swap their mutations, and create an even more dangerous strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The new evidence that the California variant could make people sicker, and vaccines less effective, should spur more intensive efforts to drive down infections, Chiu said. Those should include both public health measures, such as masking and limits on public activities, and a campaign of rapid vaccinations, he added.

The new analysis is currently under review by the public health departments of San Francisco County and the state, which collaborated in the new research. It is expected to post late this week to MedRxiv, a website that allows new research to be shared before its formal publication.

[Irish_Dem]

2. "Nightmare scenario"

"It also opens the door to a “nightmare scenario”: That the two viruses (UK and California variations) will meet in a single person, swap their mutations, and create an even more dangerous strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

The horror continues.

[onecaliberal]

3. This is why I have been so crazy about not enough vaccine in my county. Idiots in this place do not

mask, or social distance. Restaurants are open and people are not social distancing. The schools have been open here since November and A LOT of people have gotten sick.

[Ms. Toad]

4. The "silver lining" is that when a virus is both deadly and higly transmissible

it can kill off too many hosts to survive.

A very bleak "silver lining," but it is one of the reasons some of the other coronaviruses never took hold the way this one has.

[multigraincracker]

5. I plan on

shelter in place for the next 3 years.

[dhill926]

6. I get my first shot next Wednesday...

but I am NOT changing my behavior any time soon. Just gotta grind this son of a bitch out....hoping late summer early fall, but who the hell knows...

[mvd]

7. While the numbers have gone down, complacency has hurt things before

The variants scare me. We have to keep up the vaccinations, mask wearing, and social distancing.