Kids Play ‘Huge Role’ In Spreading B.1.1.7 Variant, Osterholm Says

ABC7 Chicago: Children Now Playing 'Huge Role' In Spread Of COVID-19 Variant, Expert Says
New developments in the COVID-19 pandemic have one leading epidemiologist re-evaluating his own advice. Dr. Michael Osterholm is the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He was also a member of Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board during the time between Biden being elected president and inaugurated. Osterholm previously supported sending children back to school. He said the virus was not a major threat to children. Now, the situation has changed. "Please understand, this B.1.1.7 variant is a brand new ball game," Osterholm said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It infects kids very readily. Unlike previous strains of the virus, we didn't see children under 8th grade get infected often or they were not frequently very ill, they didn't transmit to the rest of the community." (4/5)

CNN: A Dangerous Covid-19 Variant Has Spread To All 50 States. Experts Worry It Could Send Cases Surging 
The highly contagious Covid-19 variant first identified in the UK has now been reported in every state in the US, and experts are concerned spreading variants could send cases surging. "America appears to be done with the pandemic," said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "The virus is not done with us." More than 15,000 cases of the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant, which also appears to be more deadly, have been reported in the US. While the US races to get Americans vaccinated in time, many experts are asking the public to hold onto precautions for just a little while longer. (Holcombe, 4/6)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: COVID-19 Variant Detected In Dane County Child Care Center Outbreak
An outbreak of a contagious COVID-19 variant at a Dane County child care center has infected 35 people, including 16 children and five child care workers, the county health department said. The B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, has been found in cases associated with the center, according to Public Health Madison and Dane County. The virus spread quickly among children, family members and workers, the health department said. All the children who tested positive are 6 years old or younger. (Carson, 4/5)

CNBC: Fauci Warns Against Relaxing Public Health Measures As Summer Approaches
White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Monday that Americans should continue to be vigilant and adhere to public health measures as warmer summer months approach. “You might remember a little bit more than a year ago when we were looking for the summer to rescue us from surges. It was, in fact, the opposite,” Fauci said during a White House coronavirus briefing. (Macias, 4/5)

Fox News: Massachusetts Has Highest P.1 Coronavirus Variant Case Count In US
Massachusetts now accounts for about a quarter of the P.1 coronavirus variant cases detected in the U.S., surpassing Florida’s 55 with 58. According to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bay State’s total is currently highest in the U.S. A review of data conducted by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard traced the sudden rise in variant cases to clusters in Cape Cod. The state announced the first case of the P.1 variant, which was originally detected in Brazil and is more transmissible than the original strain, on March 16, and said it was identified in a Barnstable County woman in her 30s. She first tested positive for the virus in late February, and at the time officials said there was no information available pertaining to her travel history or illness. (Hein, 4/5)

And a "double mutant" is found in California —

Deadline: Double Mutant Coronavirus Variant From India Found In California 
Just as California seemed to be on the verge of truly turning the Covid-19 corner, the Stanford Clinical Virology Lab confirmed a case of an emerging variant that originated in India, Deadline has learned. According to Lisa Kim, Senior Manager of Media Relations for Stanford Health Care, “The Clinical Virology Lab at Stanford Health Care identified and confirmed the newly described ‘India’ variant last week. This variant has the L452R mutation found in the CA variant, as well as another significant spike mutation, E484Q. This same position is mutated to a different amino acid (K) in both the South Africa and Brazil (P.1 and P.2) variants.” (Tapp, 4/5)

Al Jazeera: How Dangerous Is India’s ‘Double Mutant’ COVID-19 Variant? 
The E484Q mutation, which is similar to the E484K mutation identified on the Brazilian and South African variants, can change parts of the coronavirus spike protein. The spike protein forms part of the coronavirus outer layer and is what the virus uses to make contact with human cells, bind to them, then enter and infect them. The vaccines have been designed to create antibodies which target the spike protein of the virus specifically. The worry is that if a mutation changes the shape of the spike protein significantly then the antibodies may not be able to recognise and neutralise the virus effectively. Scientists are investigating whether this may be the case for the E484Q mutation. (Khan, 4/5)