Feb 26, 2021 11:55 AM EDT
COVID-19 infections from variant strains are quickly spreading across the U.S., but there’s one big problem: Lab officials say they can’t tell patients or their doctors whether someone has been infected by a variant.
Federal rules around who can be told about the variant cases are so confusing that public health officials may merely know the county where a case has emerged but can’t do the kind of investigation and deliver the notifications needed to slow the spread, according to Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
“It could be associated with a person in a high-risk congregate setting or it might not be, but without patient information, we don’t know what we don’t know,” Hamilton said. The group has asked federal officials to waive the rules. “Time is ticking.”
Feb 26, 2021 3:20pm Tests for detecting variants have not yet been approved as a diagnostic either by the FDA or under federal rules governing university labs. (Getty Images)
COVID-19 infections from variant strains are quickly spreading across the U.S., but there’s one big problem: Lab officials say they can’t tell patients or their doctors whether someone has been infected by a variant.
Federal rules around who can be told about the variant cases are so confusing that public health officials may merely know the county where a case has emerged but can’t do the kind of investigation and deliver the notifications needed to slow the spread, according to Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
Have a case of a COVID-19 variant? No one is going to tell you gazettextra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazettextra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Monday, February 22, 2021
5:44 p.m. | February 23, 2021
COVID-19 Hospitalizations In Nevada Continue To Decline
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are continuing to decline in Nevada.
There are currently under 600 people hospitalized for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 compared to the beginning of the month when we saw about twice as many patients.
Statewide, on average, there have been under 400 daily cases over the last two weeks, along with 11 deaths per day.
In Washoe County, officials reported 102 COVID-19 cases Tuesday, which is higher than the average of 43 daily cases seen over the last two weeks.
There haven’t been any COVID-19-related deaths in Washoe over the last three days.
Have a case of Covid variant? No one is going to tell you msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.