In the last two weeks, the cases of the new variants of COVID-19 have doubled in South Florida, which indicates that the infections in our area have accelerated.
Dr. Jack Michel, director of the Larkin Hospital in Hialeah confirms: “We have been reporting them in our molecular laboratory for the last few weeks, both the UK variant and the South African variant.”
Miami Dade leads the number of cases, with 2,279, while Broward reports 1950 and Palm Beach 685. 60 percent of these cases correspond to the so-called variant B1.1.7, better known as the British variant, which is believed to be more aggressive, causing more severe symptoms, which could increase the number of hospitalizations and could also be more deadly.
“We have noticed, for example, a slight increase, but an increase, in the number of people who are admitted with COVID or with shortness of breath,” warns Dr. Jack Michel of Larkin Hospital.
But, in what situation are we facing these variants of COVID and the current vaccines?
Amílcar Riverol, a Cuban microbiologist living in Brazil assures that “it has been seen that there is a drop in the percentages of neutralizing antibodies induced by these vaccines, but that this drop is not enough to stop being effective.”
However, we must be cautious “because if the infections compete with vaccination, and above all beat vaccination, we are creating a very favorable situation for the emergence of new variants,” says the microbiologist Riverol.
Now many of the mitigation measures have been left behind after the state governor signed a law to abolish those local government policies.
“It seems a little reckless to me at the moment, because we do not have a high vaccination rate and open completely and repeal the measures, with that we run the risk that we have a third wave with high peaks and we go backwards in what has been gained”, warns Dr. Dadilia Garcés, epidemiologist and professor at Miami Dade College.
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