Month: November 2021

A potentially faster-spreading "sub-lineage" of the coronavirus Delta variant named AY.4.2 has been spotted by labs in at least 8 states, and health authorities in the United Kingdom say they are investigating a growing share of cases from this strain of the virus. Labs in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Washington state, plus the District of Columbia, have so far spotted at least one case of AY.4.2. While it may spread somewhat faster, health authorities have not found evidence of more severe illness caused by the variant, and they say current vaccines remain effective against it. The sub-lineage has remained a small fraction of circulating cases in the U.S. for several weeks, but American health officials say they are alread...

Oregon recorded a slight increase in weekly coronavirus cases Monday, ending an eight-week streak of declines. The Oregon Health Authority posted 7,877 cases in the past week, up 2% from a week earlier. That includes 2,569 cases announced Monday for the preceding three days. The state’s streak of declining cases had been on pace to end after seven weeks but a data processing problem disclosed Oct. 25 kept it active until now. Weekly cases largely plateaued in mid- to late-October, bouncing between about 8,000 and 7,700. That’s less than half of the peak from late August. Hospitalizations have similarly steadied in recent weeks, with fewer than 600 beds occupied each day by patients who tested positive for COVID-19. That’s less than half of the record from early September. The Oreg...