Health Minute: COVID-19 Variants

Declining numbers do not reflect forward progress.

VIRUS VARIANTS COULD REVERSEPOSITIVE COVID TRENDS...MANDY GAITHER HAS MORE INTODAY'S HEALTH MINUTE."THIS IS A NATIONAL EMERGENCYAND THE APPROACH WE ARE TAKINGREFLECTSTHIS."AS THE NUMBER OF NEW DAILY COVIDCASES ACROSS THE U-SIS TRENDING DOWN --OFFICIALS ARE URGING AMERICANSTO KEEP THEIRGUARDS UP."THE CONTINUED PROLIFERATION OFVARIANTS REMAINS OF GREATCONCERN AND IS A THREAT THATCOULD REVERSE THERECENT TREND -- POSITIVE TRENDS-- WE ARE SEEING."THE LATEST U-S DATA SHOWSMUTATIONS OF THE VIRUS ARESPREADING.NEARLY 700 VARIANT CASES IN ATLEAST 33 STATES --MOST OF THEM THE VARIANT FIRSTIDENTIFIED IN THE U-K.BUT OFFICIALS ARE CERTAIN THEREARE MORE OUT THERE THATHAVE YET TO BE IDENTIFIED.OVER THE LAST 3 WEEKS OR SO,WE'VEINCREASED OUR SEQUENCING ABOUTTEN-FOLD, SO AS WE LOOK MORE, WECERTAINLY ANTICIPATE WE MIGHTFIND MORE."HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THE TWOVACCINES CURRENTLYAUTHORIZED IN THE U-S AREEFFECTIVE AGAINST THATVARIANT.AND THE BEST DEFENSES AGAINSTFURTHER VIRUS MUTATIONSIS TO GET AS MANY PEOPLEVACCINATED AS QUICKLY ASPOSSIBLE --AND CONTINUE PUBLIC HEALTHMEASURES -- WEAR A MASK,STAY SIX FEET AWAY FROM OTHERSAND WASH YOURHANDS."I RECOGNIZE THAT THE PANDEMICHASTAKEN AN ENORMOUS TOLL ON ALL OFUS, BUT IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHERAND TAKETHESE PREVENTION STEPS, WE CANFINALLY TURN THE TIDE."FOR HEALTH MINUTE, I'M MANDYGAITHER.HERE'S 23ABC'S METEOROLOGISTBRANDON MICHAELS WIT