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By DR. SEAN LLEWELLYN, ABC News
(NEW YORK) In recent months, new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been popping up all over the world, and experts say even more will continue to be identified as this pandemic continues. In the United States, variants have been found in California and the Midwest in recent weeks, and last month, new variants from the U.K., South Africa and Brazil were identified.
All viruses naturally gain mutations, so these variants “are normal and expected,” said Dr. Richard Kuhn, director of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease and editor-in-chief of the journal
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Even more variants may be identified in the coming weeks, experts said.
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Researchers at Ohio State identify 2 new COVID-19 variants
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Todd Ellerin discusses the COVID-19 virus being in full resurgence in big cities. Joshua Roberts/Getty Images, FILE
Two independent research groups published findings confirming what many scientists have long suspected: The U.S. has its own unique COVID-19 viral variants that are distinct from the U.K. and South African lineages making headlines in recent weeks.
On Wednesday, researchers from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announced two distinct, newly identified variants. The next day, researchers at Southern Illinois University said they found a variant that may have emerged months ago and quickly spread across the country. The variant is likely the same or similar to one of the variants identifi
At the end of October, a team of researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) finally sat down – virtually – with a group of Chinese experts to kick-off a long-term in-depth study into the origins of the coronavirus and how it entered the human population.
Next month – a year after China reported its first death in Wuhan from what was then considered a “mysterious” new illness – the 10 international experts from Denmark to Qatar will finally travel to the country to make in-depth “epidemiologic, virologic, serologic assessments” of people and animals.
Under the supervision of the WHO and the government of China, the team will travel to central China to gather evidence and explore how the virus appeared in the city, laying the groundwork for further study into how and where COVID-19 might have begun.
Janet Ready on leadership: Learn how to really listen, be kind and authentic, find a mentor
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Posted Dec 22, 2020
Janet L. Ready is chief operating officer at St. Joseph’s Health in Syracuse. She admires the selfless courage of Syracuse’s health-care workers.Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Health
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While most of us might feel disappointment celebrating the holidays in social isolation and without traditional holiday-party cheer, it might be a good time to think of selfless people caring for the sick and making sure our clinics and hospitals are open and humming.
Janet Ready sees their selflessness first hand. She became chief operating officer at St. Joseph’s Health in November 2019 after leadership roles at hospitals in Michigan, New York, and New Jersey. Her position before coming to Syracuse was president of Princeton Medical Center in New Jersey. As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, Ready admired the dedication and sacrifice of health-care