The following press release was issued by Mendocino County Public Health:
Mendocino County COVID-19 testing samples from February of this year were sent to a state lab for processing as normal, and were randomly sampled for variant testing. Mendocino County Public Health was alerted on March 24th that a number of our samples tested positive for 4 different variants of the COVID-19 virus.
Variants discovered include:
- B.1.4.7 (West Coast Variant)
- B.1.4.9 (West Coast Variant)
- The 3rd and 4th variants discovered are of the B.1.2 category, which are U.S. variants.
The West Coast variants have been shown to have a 20% higher transmission rate and are also somewhat more resistant to antibody therapies.
“This discovery should be of significant concern for Mendocino County residents,” said County Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren. “While we are getting vaccines out rather quickly, scientists are still working to determine if these variants could bring on a new wave of the pandemic, with more vaccine resistance. This means, whether vaccinated or not, we as a community need to abide by COVID-19 precautions to avoid another surge.”
Mendocino County Public Health recommends that all residents:
- Maintain social distance
- Avoid gatherings
- Mask-up in public
To remain updated on the COVID-19 status of our county, please stay tuned to the Mendocino County Public Health Facebook page, or visit mendocinocounty.org.
