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Don't 'Assume the Worst' About New Covid Variant Spreading in NYC: De Blasio
Posted
February 25, 2021
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0:55Now PlayingNew York Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to quell fear about a new "New York variant" of the coronavirus at his press briefing Thursday.
De Blasio emphasized that a lot more research needed to be done before it is known whether the new variant is any more or less dangerous.
"Until there's evidence that tells us that a variant is not handled well by vaccine, for example, or a variant has different impacts, we shouldn't assume the worst. We should say we need the full truth. We need the facts," said de Blasio.
New York City's health commissioner said the city is tracking the variant "very closely."
"No, we don't have any evidence at this point that the variants, that this New York variant, the 1526 is what is contributing to the trajectory of cases, which we should emphasize continue to decrease," said Dr. David Chokshi, New York's Health Commissioner.
The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials say the high rate of new cases is the main reason.
Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate as it makes copies of itself, threatening to undo the progress made so far to control the pandemic.
It's normal for viruses to acquire small changes or mutations in their genetic alphabet as they reproduce. Ones that help the virus flourish give it a competitive advantage and thus crowd out other versions.
In March, just a couple months after the coronavirus was discovered in China, a mutation called D614G emerged that made it more likely to spread. It soon became the dominant version in the world.
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