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St. Louis health department monitoring new COVID-19 variant

There are no cases of the new variant in Missouri

ST. LOUIS — Public health leaders, including in St. Louis, are monitoring a new variant of the coronavirus.

The new variant of SARS-CoV2 has been found in three states: Colorado, California and Florida, as of Monday morning according to a news release. The new variant was first identified in the United Kingdom; however, the first known U.S. cases are not believed to be linked to travel within the U.K.

Currently, there are no cases of the new variant in Missouri, the City of St. Louis Department of Health said in the release.

“Early research of this new strain in the United Kingdom predicts it has the potential to spread more rapidly than other strains of the COVID-19 virus,” said Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting health director for the city. “We must not forget that the virus is spread by respiratory transmission. The City of St. Louis Department of Health needs everyone to take this seriously and follow the preventative measures (wearing face coverings, social distancing, washing your hands regularly with soap and water) we did throughout 2020 to protect our health and the health of those we care about. If we fail to implement these measures, we will place the health of our community in danger.”

Although information on the new variant predicts it has potential to spread more rapidly than other strains, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death, the department said.

The department said virus mutation is common and can emerge and disappear quickly. Some mutations can emerge that help a virus spread more easily, cause infection to be more or less severe or lead to resistance to treatments or vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other public health experts continue to monitor the new variant and will issue new information as it becomes available.

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