HOLLAND With another variant of the COVID-19 virus identified in Michigan, local health officials say it’s still important to get vaccinated.
It’s not yet known how effective the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are against the B.1.351, or South African, variant that was recently discovered in Michigan for the first time.
Ottawa County Department of Public Health Medical Director Paul Heidel said variants do bring some concern, but the current thought is the vaccines are still effective.
“As far as the variants go, it looks like the vaccines are effective, at least this is what the CDC is saying they are effective,” Heidel said during a recent county board meeting. “We are concerned a little bit about the South African strain, because that is one that does seem to possess the ability to bypass some of the antibodies, either from the vaccine or prior infection of COVID. But overall, they are still saying (the vaccines) are effective.”
Ottawa County identifies B.1.1.7 COVID-19 case with no travel history
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and last updated 2021-03-12 12:58:57-05
OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. â The B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant has been identified in Ottawa County, health officials announced Friday.
The confirmed case is younger than 20 years of age and had no known travel history.
âThe case is in isolation with close contacts identified,â said Dr. Heidel, medical director at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. âAdditional measures take place when a variant is identified or even suspected, such as a strict 14-day quarantine and an extended contact tracing timeframe. With the case not having any travel history and the variant being highly transmissible, we are urging all people take extra precautions to avoid infection and furthering the spread of the virus.â
U.K. COVID variant identified in Ottawa County
Sentinel Staff
HOLLAND A case of the COVID-19, variant B.1.1.7., sometimes referred to as the United Kingdom strain of the coronavirus, has been confirmed in a laboratory test in an Ottawa County resident, per local health officials. It is the first confirmed case of a coronavirus variant in Ottawa County.
Per the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, the individual with the confirmed case is younger than 20 years of age and had no known travel history. The case is in isolation with close contacts identified. Additional measures take place when a variant is identified or even suspected, such as a strict 14-day quarantine and an extended contact tracing timeframe, said OCDPH Medical Director Dr. Paul Heidel in a statement. With the case not having any travel history and the variant being highly transmissible, we are urging all people take extra precautions to avoid infection and furthering the spread of the virus.
West Michigan counties making progress with COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Supply is slowly increasing, more people are becoming eligible and local health departments say they are finding what works. Author: Emma Nicolas Updated: 10:40 PM EST March 10, 2021
It s been just under three months since the first trucks rolled away from Pfizer s Portage facility carrying the COVID-19 vaccine, and health officials say much has changed in the time since.
Two more vaccines, from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are now available, and an increasing number of people are becoming eligible for the shot in Michigan. We are so happy to say that we have all three vaccines available, said Kathy Moore, Muskegon County s public health director.