LOS ANGELES -- Health officials say the most common COVID-19 variant of concern circulating in Los Angeles County is now a variant discovered in the U.K. It’s sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus. More than 60% of people over 18 have received at least one shot, and almost half are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Thousands of people turned out in a county and state where only about a quarter of the population is fully vaccinated. — A medical center in Louisiana says it has identified the state’s first two cases of a COVID-19 variant first identified in India.

Source: thestar May 22, 2021 11:50 UTC