Health leaders in Mesa County recently reported cases of COVID-19 continue to rise among Coloradan children, and a new Variant inflicting havoc in India is presently making its way around Colorado.
A FOX31 report said that in Denver, COVID-19 restrictions are easing, children have returned to school, but now, cases of the virus are on the rise. More so, hospitalizations are up, and scientists have detected a new variant in the state.
According to Dr. Rachel Herlihy, a state epidemiologist, they had five reports of the variant reported to them from Mesa County on Wednesday evening.
Specifically, the variant called B11617.2 is one of the COVID-19 variants that was originally detected in India. This new strain, according to News Medical.net, is 45-percent more infectious than the wild SARS-CoV-2 variant.
The epidemiologist also said, none of the people who tested positive for the new variant recently moved outside of Mesa County, prompting the leading the Department of Health and Environment to examine further what the mutation could mean for everyone there.
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Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
Rising COVID-19 Cases Among Children
Herlihy also said they know that there is some limited data suggesting that some of the monoclonal antibody cures could be less effective for this particular strain.
She added, there is very minimal data about COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. At present, she elaborated, it looks like minimal efficacy of the vaccine with this particular variant.
On top of the new B11617.2 variant, the state has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases among children, specifically those in their preschool ages to 17 years old.
Shown in the state data are children aged 0 to 19 years old, comprising 26 percent of new cases in the previous week.
Vaccination Encouraged
As a response to the rising COVID-19 cases, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock called out on parents, encouraging them to get themselves and their teenage children vaccinated when they can. The local government expressed hope in hitting 70 percent of people getting vaccinated by the start of July.
The mayor said he'd like to show the country how vaccination is done by getting 60 percent of all residents in Denver vaccinated with at least one dose by the start of June.
And certainly, he added during a city press conference yesterday, meeting that said 70-percent goal by July 1. If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes, he added, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to-15-year-olds next week, that will certainly help hit such targets.
The actual concern both for the state and city is that children and young people are getting ill. The variants, Mayor Hancock, said, that is currently taking hold in the community have more serious effects.
Therefore, according to Bob McDonald, Denver Public Health Executive Director, if one would think early on he is a young, healthy adult, he does not need to worry about the effects of COVID-19. He should now worry about this.
This report, all coming as the state eased its mass restrictions this week, leaving it up to firms to verify if people have been vaccinated before they drop or take out their masks indoors.
A similar report is shown on Denver7's YouTube Video below:
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