First case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 confirmed in Dane County
February 18, 2021 3:21 PM Brandon Arbuckle
Updated:
NIAID
MADISON, Wis. The COVID-19 variant strain first discovered in England has been confirmed in Dane County on Thursday.
According to a news release, the person who tested positive for variant strain B.1.1.7 had no recent travel history outside of the county. The strain is known for having circulated widely in England near the end of 2020.
Researchers said the B.1.1.7 variant is likely more contagious and spreads more rapidly than the original strain.
BREAKING: The first case of COVID-19 variant B 1. 1. 7. (UK Strain) has been confirmed in Dane County.
No scientific evidence to prove 5G mutates coronavirus, scientists reiterate The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has on Monday held a briefing to unpack the technology as well as address concerns around whether 5G presents a health risk. FILE: This undated handout image obtained August 11, 2020, courtesy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID), shows a transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient, captured and colour-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Picture: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AFP.
46 days ago
CAPE TOWN - Scientists have yet again debunked the myth that 5G technology mutates the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
ANALYSIS: Will coronavirus really evolve to become less deadly?
This article first appeared on The Conversation.
A recent modelling study painted a reassuring picture of a post-pandemic future in which SARS-CoV-2 transitions, over “a few years to a few decades”, from dangerous pathogen to just another common-cold coronavirus. This predicted loss of virulence, the authors stress, is based on a specific idiosyncrasy of the virus, namely that it rarely causes serious disease in children.
Still, many experts agreed that we should not be in the least surprised by the authors’ conclusion, as all viruses “become more transmissible and less pathogenic over time”. After all, the seductive logic goes, from an evolutionary perspective it makes no sense for a pathogen to harm the host on which it depends for its survival. According to this reasoning, virulence is little more than a temporary evolutionary imbalance.
2,076 new COVID cases, 67 more hospitalizations in Wisconsin
January 24, 2021 2:20 PM Abby Schinderle
Updated:
NIAID
MADISON, Wis. Sixty-seven new hospitalizations related to the Covid-19 virus were reported on Sunday, according to the Department of Health Services.
Combined data from state and county health dashboards showed an additional 2,076 cases of COVID-19 in the state, which makes Wisconsin’s total count of cases since the start of the pandemic 534,179 .
6 new deaths were reported, bringing the state total to 5,779 deaths so far.
67 more people were hospitalized between Saturday and Sunday, DHS said. A total of 4.4% of people in the state with COVID-19 have required hospitalizations.