Screening For The Covid Variant

Morning commute.

Right now -- the c-d-c confirmed 22 cases of the u-k covid varient here in alabama.

At least one of those cases is in madison county.

Waay 31's luke hajdasz is live at john hunt park this morning.

Luke, are people screened for these variants?

Pat, marie - the c-d-c started ramping up screening for variants back in november.

By the end of january -- a funding increase allowed the c-d-c to screen at least 750 samples a week from various health departments and agencies across the country.

But still, only about 0.3 percent of positive cases in alabama have been screened for the variant.

Huntsville hospital's infectious disease specialist dr. ali hassoun believes the u-s has been falling behind on screening.

T's very important to know because as these changes happen to the virus, the behavior of the virus is going to change.

So it can get less efficient and less infectious, but also it can get more efficient and transmissible depending on that mutation.

Right now the goal for the c- d-c is to screen up to ten percent of positive cases.

The alabama department of public health is working to accomplish this goal.

However - it's also conducting its own screening with private labs by screening more for variants, hassoun says it will be easier to change how we treat the virus and any make any needed changes to vaccines.

Live in huntsville, luke hajdasz, waay 31