This is a case update, and I’ll also talk about a new SARS-2 Variant, CAL.20C. New confirmed cases continue to drop in the US, California, and San Diego County. New cases are now at about the same level as they were in late November or early December. This is great news of course, but there are still lots of actively infected people around, especially in Southern California. So continue to be diligent!
CAL.20C: You may have heard of a new strain of SARS-2 circulating in the LA area. CAL.20C was first discovered in July, but then was undetected for many months until October. By December, it represented 25% of new cases in the LA area, and was spreading to other locations. Like most of the new variants, CAL.20C is more infectious than previous versions, but does not appear to be more pathogenic. All viruses have a tendency, over the course of years or decades, to become more infectious and less pathogenic, and SARS-2 seems to be following this pattern as well.
