MADISON, Wis. A mutant strain of coronavirus is spreading fast in the United Kingdom. The new strain is believed to be up to 70% more infectious, but doctors aren’t sure yet if it makes you more sick.
News 3 Now asked Dr. William Hartman at UW Health if the current approved vaccines will work against the mutant strain.
“The real answer is we don’t completely know the answer,” said Hartman. “We suspect that the vaccines will be just fine against this new strain.”
He said it’s the way the virus mutated that’s worrisome. It’s spike proteins hold onto cells more tightly than other strains.
New virus strain presents challenge for Wisconsin health experts
New virus strain presents challenge for Wisconsin health experts
With testing down, health experts believe there are more cases of the virus and the new variant than are being recorded.
MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) on Wednesday, Dec. 23 provided an update on a new strain of the coronavirus.
Health experts say the strain could already be in the U.S., but it is not easy to detect. Add to that, testing is down in southeastern Wisconsin and has been since Thanksgiving.
Local health officials warn the new strain may be more contagious. There are no confirmed cases of the particular strain in southeastern Wisconsin, but officials say that does not mean it isn t already here.
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DHS: 2,579 new positive cases of COVID-19 in WI; 69 new deaths
By FOX6 News Digital Team
Published article
MADISON, Wis. - The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin rose by 2,579 on Wednesday, Dec. 23, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported, for a total of 463,954.
There have been 4,614 deaths in the state, with 69 new deaths reported Wednesday by DHS officials.
There are currently two patients being cared for at the Alternate Care Facility at Wisconsin State Fair Park.
Of the positive cases, 20,519 have required hospitalization (4.4%), while 424,946 have recovered (91.7%), making for 33,932 active cases (7.3%).
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St. Louis County has had a seven-day average of about 82 new cases a day.
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Across the 10-county region of the Northland, 111 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 and five more people have died from the illness and its complications as of Wednesday.
Two of those who died lived in St. Louis County. Both were in their 90s, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The most recent deaths bring the county s total number of lives lost to 181. Over a quarter of those people died in just the month of December. No other month has seen as many deaths in St. Louis County.