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The Latest: Nevada has 1st confirmed case of SAfrica variant - The Associated Press
Feb 18, 2021 4 mins, 21 secs
— Nevada health officials have confirmed the state’s first known case of a coronavirus variant that was originally identified in South Africa.

The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory said Thursday the mutated version of the virus was confirmed a day earlier in a sample traced to a person who traveled from South Africa and began showing symptoms of COVID-19 when arriving in Reno.

Experts say it’s another reason Nevadans need to be sure to keep their masks on and not to let their guard down as the state relaxes restrictions on businesses and public gatherings.

Mark Pandori, the director of Nevada’s public health lab, said Thursday vaccines may be less effective on the new strain but it is not yet known if the strain causes a more severe illness.

He said the new strain is not believed to be more lethal than the original COVID-19 strain.

Nevada has also reported six known cases of a more contagious coronavirus variant that first originated in the United Kingdom.

Ned Lamont announced Thursday he plans to lift some restrictions on youth sports in Connecticut as the state’s COVID-19 metrics continue to improve.

Colleges, meanwhile, can make their own decisions on allowing fans into venues in consultation with the state Department of Public Health, he said.

Brian Kemp said at a news conference Thursday the sites will be up and running on Monday.

The state is currently limiting the vaccine to medical workers, emergency workers, nursing home residents and people 65 and older, but people outside those categories can also sign up on the website to be notified when it’s their turn.

Also Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,966 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 72 related deaths.

ALGIERS, Algeria — President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says Algeria will start producing Russia’s Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine in six or seven months.

Health Minister Abderahmane Benbouzid said earlier this week that the vaccine will be produced by state laboratory Saidal.

In addition, COVID-19 shipments to the state have been delayed due to weather.

— Vaccine developer Novavax has agreed to provide 1.1 billion doses of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine for use in more than 190 low- and middle-income countries.

The company said Thursday it has reached agreement with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to provide the doses to the COVAX Facility, a project led by Gavi, the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Novavax said testing has found the shot works against the original COVID-19 strain and two variants first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa and now circulating widely.

— Louisiana will expand coronavirus vaccine access next week to another half-million people.

— Virginia’s health department says the commonwealth is seeing delays in this week’s COVID-19 vaccine shipments because of severe winter weather.

NEW YORK — Drugmaker Pfizer and German partner BioNTech have begun a nine-country study of the safety and effectiveness of their COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women.

William Gruber, Pfizer’s head of vaccine clinical research and development, said in a statement that “pregnant women have an increased risk of complications and developing severe COVID-19,” and “it is critical that we develop a vaccine that is safe and effective” for them.

CARSON CITY, Nevada — Health officials have confirmed the first known case in Nevada of a coronavirus variant that was first identified in South Africa.

The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory said Thursday that the mutated version of the virus was confirmed a day earlier in a sample traced to a person who traveled from South Africa and began showing symptoms of COVID-19 after arriving in Reno.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the variant has been detected in 10 states thus far, not including Nevada’s case.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia’s government has failed to agree on a plan to acquire Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to speed up the vaccination program in one of the hardest-hit European Union nations.

MADRID — Spanish health authorities say they expect the curve of coronavirus contagion to continue flattening after the two-week incidence rate dropped Thursday to 320 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, from a peak of nearly 900 at the end of January.

PARIS — France’s health minister says the coronavirus variant dominant in Britain accounts for about 36% of infections in his country and a majority of cases in some areas, and other variants account for 5% of new cases.

He said Thursday that the growing proportion of more contagious variants may be why France’s 12-hour-a-day curfew and other restrictions aren’t bringing overall infections and hospitalizations down.

ROME — Officials have postponed a main event commemorating the first anniversary of the start of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak after clusters of new infections traced to the variant first detected in Britain forced localized lockdowns in hardest-hit Lombardy and around the country

8 decree signed by the governor of the Vatican City State sparked heated debate Thursday, since its provisions go well beyond the generally voluntary nature of COVID-19 vaccinations in Italy and much of the rest of the world

The decree cited the need to protect employees, as well as guidelines by Francis’ own COVID-19 commission of advisers who said there is a moral obligation since “refusing a vaccine can constitute a risk for others.”

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