Tracking Coronavirus Variants

Chances are that you’ve head about variants of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19. When viruses replicate, sometimes there are replication errors that are known as mutations. Mutations can render the virus harmless or could result in more efficient transmission (how well it spreads) or greater disease severity (including higher rates of hospitalization and/or death), depending on the nature of the mutation.

Variants are classified as variants of interest (limited impact), variants of concern (increased transmissibility or disease severity), and variants of high consequence (significantly reduced effectiveness of preventive or treatment measures).

• There are currently 4 variants of interest in the US: B.1.526 (New York City), B.1.526.1 (New York City), B.1.525 (United Kingdom/Nigeria), and P.2 (Brazil)
• There are currently 5 variants of concern in the US: B.1.1.7 (United Kingdom), B.1.351 (South Africa), P.1 (Japan/Brazil), B.1.427 (California), and B.1.429 (California)
• There are currently no variants of high consequence in the US

If you have an interest in tracking coronavirus variants and are a visual person, then you’ll probably appreciate the data visualizations from the GISAID Initiative which promotes the rapid sharing of data from influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2.

Simply select a variant in the drop-down menu and explore animated maps, variant genome frequency plots, and downloadable variant data tables.

For more information about coronavirus variants, visit this CDC resource.

I’m a COVID-19 Community Ambassador

I just completed the COVID-19 Community Ambassador Program through the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health. The purpose of the ambassador program is to empower individuals with accurate and shareable resources and the appropriate Departmental contacts for reporting of concerns. It is not intended to formally train or deputize individuals to take personal action in instances of non-compliance. Visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/Coronavirus for Protocols for the Health Officer Orders, protocols for reopening, COVID-19 information, and frequently asked questions.

To complete the program, all you need to do is watch a 30-minute informational video and complete a short survey. You will immediately receive a certificate via email and will be sent a community ambassador mask and pin via US mail. If you want to just watch the video without receiving the goodies, you can do so here: