Douglas County Health officials warn some variants are impacting younger people more severely – KETV Omaha

ALL RIGHT, BILL. THANKS BACK TO THOSE RISING RATES OF COVID-19 HERE IN THE METRO DOCTORS WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE CASES ARE CONNECTED TO THE NEW VARIANTS AS KETV, NEWSWATCH 7 QUINNICIA FRASER REPORTS. THE STATE IS TEAMING UP WITH CHI HEALTH AND CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY TO GET SOME ANSWERS. DOCTORS KNOW THE UK VARIANT A MORE CONTAGIOUS STRAIN OF COVID-19 IS HERE IN THE OMAHA METRO. IT DOES APPEAR THAT THE B-117 IS BECOMING MORE PREVALENT IN OUR REGION, BUT JUST HOW PREVALENT THAT’S WHY NEBRASKA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CONTRACTED WITH CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY AND CHI HEALTH TO TEST FOR VARIANCE. IT’S ACTUALLY EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO DO THIS AND SO IT’S IT’S WONDERFUL TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE DHHS WITH THIS. OLD DATA, DR. MAUREEN TIERNEY IS THE ASSISTANT DEAN OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT CREIGHTON. SHE SAYS THEY HAVE ONE OF THREE LABS IN THE STATE TO HELP FIND NEW STRAINS, NEBRASKA PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE UNMC COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH HAVE THE OTHER LABS. IT GIVES US AN IDEA OF WHAT THE PERCENTAGE OF CIRCULATING VIRUSES IN THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THOSE OVARIANS OUT OF THE VARIANCE CREIGHTON AND CHI DETECTED 80% WERE THE STRAIN FIRST FOUND IN THE UK EVERY BRAIN AND EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLINICAL MEDICINE AND LABORATORY MEDICINE HAVE TO PULL TOGETHER DOUGLAS COUNTY’S ALREADY SEEN ONE OUTBREAK LINK TO THAT STRAIN AT ROSEWOOD ACADEMY CHILD CARE AND PRESCHOOL IN NORTHWEST OMAHA. IT’S CONTAGIOUS, YOU KNOW INFECT. ON OUR POPULATION THE STATE’S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, DR. GARY. TONE SAYS THAT’S ALL THE MORE REASON TO STAY VIGILANT AND SIGN UP FOR YOUR VACCINE RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE THESE SUCCESSFUL VACCINES THAT WE DIDN’T HAVE BACK IN NOVEMBER. SO IT’S OUR NEW WEA