COVID-19 variant pop-up now on Public Health Dashboard

In an effort to keep our community informed of confirmed COVID-19 variant cases in Kern County, Public Health has added a new pop-up to our existing COVID-19 dashboard that will be updated regularly.

Six cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been detected in Kern County. As of April 7, there are 980 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant detected in California.

According to the California Department of Public Health, B.1.1.7 variants are associated with approximately 50% increased transmission and are likely associated with increased disease severity and risk of death. However, it appears to have minimal impact on the effectiveness of treatments with antibodies.

Public Health encourages residents to keep taking steps that will limit transmission of the virus and to get vaccinated if you are 16 years of age or older.

For more information about variants in California, please visit http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-Variants.aspx.