COVID-19 variant tracking, Feb. 5

OHA is now reporting the number of people in Oregon with confirmed variant strains of the virus that causes COVID-19 on Oregon’s COVID-19 Update dashboard. New variant cases will be reported via this dashboard Monday through Friday. New SARS-CoV-2 variants have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic, and information about the characteristics of these variants is rapidly emerging.  Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Most variants do not change how the virus behaves and many disappear. OHA continues to monitor variants that are being identified and will provide updates.