mtanji@mauinews.com
Maui County has the largest amount of the highly transmissible California variant among specimens analyzed by the state Department of Health’s Laboratories Division.
The COVID-19 variant discovered in California, also known as the B.1.429 variant, has been found in 165 specimens from Maui that have been subject to genomic sequencing in the state, the DOH said Friday.
Oahu has seen 116 specimens of the California variant, while Hawaii County recorded 10 and Kauai had one.
State Laboratories Division Director Dr. Edward Desmond said Friday that the highly transmissible variant on Maui is linked to the high daily cases counts on the island. With the California variant and others, antibodies are slightly less effective, so even if someone is vaccinated, they could get mild symptoms or be asymptomatic. However, the vaccine will still prevent them from getting seriously ill or going to the hospital, Desmond said during “The Weekly Dose” program on the DOH�