Breaking News
Community

Ohio County Reports Eight Cases of COVID-19 Variant From United Kingdom

By From Staff Reports 2 min read
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP)

The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department announced Sunday night that eight cases of what is commonly known as the UK variant of the COVID-19 virus have been found in Ohio County.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources notified the department Friday of the cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which is a more communicable version of the virus and possibly more deadly. In a White House COVID update Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said there were studies that there was anywhere from a 61% to 64% greater risk of death from the UK variant, though vaccines seem to protect well from it.

The WOCHD said all those cases and contacts have been released from quarantine and isolation.

The department also reported 17 new COVID-19 cases between Saturday and Sunday in its Sunday night update. That brought the county's totals to 3,934 cases and 75 deaths since the pandemic began.

The Marshall County Health Department reported four new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases and three probable cases in its Sunday night report. That brought that county's totals to 2,437 positive cases, 675 probable cases and 63 related deaths.

Hancock, Brooke and Ohio counties all were green Sunday, the safest category on the DHHR's daily COVID-19 alert map. Marshall County was yellow, the second-safest category.

Starting at /week.