As fall weather moves across the country, so are cases of COVID-19. Health experts say a highly transmissible new strain of the virus is on the rise. CDC data shows 19 states are seeing high levels of what’s being called the “Stratus” variant. Dr. Lipi Roy joins “Morning in America with Hena Doba” to discuss the new variant and other top health headlines.
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IF STICKING WITH US ON THIS SUNDAY MORNING AS FALL WEATHER MAKES ITS WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO ARE CASES OF COVID-19. NOW THERE IS A HIGHLY NEW TRANSMISSIBLE STRAIN OF THE VIRUS ON THE RISE. NEW CDC DATA SHOWS 19 STATES ARE SEEING HIGH LEVELS OF WHAT IS BEING CALLED THE STRATUS VARIANT HERE TO DISCUSS THIS AT OUR OTHER HEALTH HEADLINES ALL THE WAY FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS IS INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN. DOCTOR LEROY DOCTOR. WHY? WELCOME BACK. IT WAS GOOD TO >> SO WONDERFUL. THE SYRINGES ABOUT A MEDICAL CONFERENCE PRESENTED FOR ELECTORS IN TODAY’S HEARING ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK WHERE WE’RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR MAKING TIME FOR US. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS LATEST COVID VARIANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR 85% OF CASES IN THE U.S. AS OF LATE SEPTEMBER. WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE STRATUS VARIANT DOCK? >> YEAH. SO WE KNOW THAT SARS-COV 2 THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES COVID-19 MUTATES FREQUENTLY CREATING NEW STRAINS THAT ARE OFTEN MORE TRANSMISSIBLE. AS YOU POINTED OUT AHEAD OF THIS CURRENT COVID SURGE IS DRIVEN BY THIS MUTATED X HAS G VARIANT AK STRATUS, WHICH IS PART OF THE OMICRON FAMILY, A VARIANCE AND IT’S SPREADING RAPIDLY WORLDWIDE. 85% OF CASES YOU PLANT TODAY UP FROM ONLY 3% BACK IN MARCH AND MAY. AND IT IS THE DOMINANT VARIANT WAS INTERESTING THAT THIS EXIT, YOUR STRATUS VARIANCE HAS UNIQUE MUTATIONS AND ITS SPIKE PROTEIN, W WHICH MAYHELP IT TO SOME OF THE CELLS, INCLUDING RESPIRATORY CELLS AND CAUSE INFECTION. BUT THE GOOD NEWS, HANNA IS THAT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HAS DEAN OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH RISK OF AT STRATUS THIS STATUS VARIANT TO BE LOW. SO WHILE IT’S IT CAN BE HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS THAT THIS CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS ARE SYMPTOMS AREN’T AS SEVERE. BUT THIS RISE IN CASES IS CONCERNING AS MANY AMERICANS ARE CONFUSED ABOUT ELIGIBILITY OF THE COVID-19 VACCINES AMID SHIFTING GUIDELINES WHICH COULD MAKE IT HARDER FOR CERTAIN GROUPS TO GET THE VACCINE LIKE CHILDREN AND PREGNANT WOMEN HAD NO. YOU’RE RIGHT. THAT IS CERTAINLY ADDING TO THE CONFUSION OUT THERE. DOCTOR, ONE OF THE FINES AND SYMPTOMS TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THIS SPECIFIC STRAIN. SO THE SYMPTOMS ARE ACTUALLY THE CONSTELLATION OF SYMPTOMS ARE QUITE SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS OMICRON VARIANT OF COVID. SO FEVER, CHILLS, SORE THROAT, RUNNY NOSE NASAL CONGESTION, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, HEADACHE FEVER. AS I MENTIONED, HEADACHES, BODY ACHES. YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF THIS RESERVE GRADE AND A SORE THROAT. SO PAINFUL SORES. 3RD IS ACTUALLY NOT UNIQUE. OTHER COVID VARIANTS OR CAUSE IT. BUT THIS COMING RAZOR BLADE. SO HOARSENESS AND SORENESS MAY ALSO OCCUR AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL KEEP AN EYE FOR THAT. MOVING ON TO ANOTHER OUTBREAK MAKING HEADLINES. THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IS REPORTING 10 NEW CASES. >> OF MEASLES JUST IN THE LAST MONTH. 18 CASES SO FAR THIS YEAR. WHAT’S BEHIND THIS OUTBREAK? >> YEAH. SO LOOK, NEARLY AS YOU POINTED OUT, IT DOESN’T CASE OF MEASLES CAUSED BY THE VIRUS. RUBIO REPORTED BY THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT ALL ALL INFECTED IN INDIVIDUALS WERE UNVACCINATED AGAINST THE MEASLES VIRUS. 7 OF THE CASES THESE INDIVIDUALS TRAVELED WITHIN THE U.S. AND 3 TRAVEL INTERNATIONALLY. SCHOOL STAFF ARE IMPLEMENTING PROACTIVE MEASURES TO MITIGATE THE OUTBREAK. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR VIEWERS UNDERSTAND ARE REALLY KNOW THAT MEASLES IS A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS AIRBORNE INFECTION CAUSED BY THE RUBIO, A VIRUS WHICH CAN STAY IN THE AIR FOR UP TO 2 HOURS AFTER THE INFECTED PERSON LEAVES SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR FEVER RASH, COUGH, RUNNY NOSE. WATERY EYES. AND PEOPLE MIGHT THINK, OH, IT’S ONLY JUST MEASLES IS JUST A FEVER, RASH. IT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR VIEWERS UNDERSTAND THAT SEVERE CASES INCLUDE THE NUMBER ON RESPIRATORY DISTRESS HEARING LOSS, AND BRAIN INFECTION INFORMATION ON THIS AND SET LATEST BRAIN DAMAGE AND DEATH. SO IT SHOULD BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. WE PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS THINK THAT THE RISE MEASLES, MEASLES OUTBREAKS NATIONWIDE IS BECAUSE OF MORE AND MORE PEOPLE NOT GETTING THE VACCINE AGAINST MEASLES. HANNAH. >> SO A DOCK WITH ALL THAT SAID, HOW DO WE PROTECT OURSELVES FROM MEASLES? >> SO REALLY GETTING THE VACCINE IS THE WAY TO KEEP OURSELVES PROTECTED. AND BUT ALSO IF YOU ARE SOMEONE YOU KNOW OR LOVE IS IMMUNOCOMPROMISED COULD PROTECT THEM THROUGH THROUGH IT, DISTANCING THROUGH MASKING BUT REALLY VACCINE IS THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO KEEP OURSELVES
