The DuPage County Health Department confirmed the first case of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant in the county.
B.1.1.7 is a variant that was first discovered in the United Kingdom and is known to spread more easily and quickly than the strain of the virus most commonly found in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control says studies show that federally-approved vaccines are effective against this strain.
Edward Hospital Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention Dr. Jonathan Pinsky also previously confirmed with Naperville News 17 that the vaccines being administered should be effective against the B.1.1.7 variant.
Twenty-Five Cases in Illinois
This is the 25th confirmed case of the B.1.1.7 variant in Illinois. The first was detected at the end of December 2020.
DuPage County Health Department Executive Director Karen Ayala said securing more vaccines for DuPage County and Illinois residents is the best way to fight the new strain.
“Given these emerging variants alongside ongoing vaccination efforts, supply remains the single greatest challenge in not being able to swiftly vaccinate more people in DuPage County. We, too, are frustrated with the insufficient and unpredictable supply our County is receiving,” she said.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
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