‘The spread is the main thing’: Local doctor weighs in on COVID variant found in area

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The United Kingdom’s COVID-19 variant has reached the Capital City as the war against the virus turns into a battle against mutations.

The Health Department has confirmed two cases here.

According to the latest information from the CDC, there are 33 states in the U.S. that have confirmed this particular variant, and Florida has the most cases of it.

WCTV reached out to Florida State University’s College of Medicine’s Dr. Christie Alexander to weigh in on the virus.

She says that while this variant itself isn’t believed to be any more deadly, there is cause for concern because of how rapidly it is spreading.

”The spread is the main thing. We are not finding conclusive evidence as of yet that it is more deadly, but the more people that get it, the more chance there is of somebody getting really sick and ending up in the hospital and dying as a result of the virus,” Dr. Alexander explained.

Alexander says that right now, medical experts are confident in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines effectiveness.

Those are the ones that everybody’s getting right now and she says they are effective against this particular variant.

But, there is concern that they may not be as efficient in protecting against some of the other variants that haven’t made it here yet or haven’t formed yet.

She added that if we can cut down of people getting sick and provide less hosts for the virus to live in, the less variants there will be.

That means people getting vaccinated as soon as they can and everyone else should continue to follow CDC protocols: wear your mask, keep your distance and avoid large gatherings.

Copyright 2021 WCTV. All rights reserved.