With the new year, comes a new COVID variation that is making its way through California. So far the cases cases appear to be in Southern California, but it will likely make its way north. CEO and President of Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Dr. Brian Evans, says the mutation was not unexpected, but has not arrived in Nevada County yet. The biggest difference is its possible ease of transmission.

Evans says with the new variant, a number of questions are also being asked.

Evans says that the vaccines will continue to be effective because of the way they attack the virus. The vaccine targets a portion of the virus that does not change between variations meaning it will kill or disable the virus in the same manner as long as that part of the virus does not change.
He also says people need to stay the course regarding COVID precautions.

There is still no exact timeline for vaccine distribution.