NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Health officials say new COVID-19 variants continue to spread in New York City.
"Unfortunately, we have found that the new variants of COVID-19 are continuing to spread and when you combine the variant of concern, B117 — the one first reported in the U.K., and the new variant of interest, B.1.526 — the one that was first reported here in New York, together these new variants account for 51% of all cases that we have in the city right now," Dr. Jay Varma, senior advisor for public health, said Wednesday.
He notes that preliminary data of the B.1.526 strain does not show that it causes more severe illness or reduces the effectiveness of vaccines, but it is probably more infectious than older strains of the virus. It may be similar to infectiousness to the U.K. strain, Varma said.
"It's important to emphasize that this is preliminary. We're working closely with our academic partners, with our neighboring states, with CDC to collect and analyze more data," Varma said.
Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said the B.1.526 variant is increasing in prevalence across the city, representing 39% of all samples sequenced this past week compared to 31% the week prior.
"The increasing prevalence suggests that the B.1.526 variant is a more infectious variant," Chokshi said.
The U.K. variant increased to 12% of samples analyzed in the most recent week, up from 8% the prior week. No additional cases of the South African and Brazilian variants were found in the most recent week of data, Chokshi said.
Varma said the best way to prevent the spread is to continue wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing and getting vaccinated.
Variants come with the territory, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
"Variants are not a new concept, they're part of the reality, and there's ways to address them," de Blasio said. "So far what we're finding is the variants are not posing the worst kind of problems that we might fear. For example, a variant that is more deadly, we're not seeing that. A variant that's vaccine resistant, we're not seeing that. What we are seeing is variants that are more infectious and therefore spread the disease more and that's a real issue. But the good news is we have the strategies to fight back. All those basic things all of you have been doing what New Yorkers have done so well the social distancing the face coverings it works. It works against the variants too."
De Blasio said the vaccine is the number one weapon in the war against the variants and the coronavirus.
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