A variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in several California counties including Lake County. According to the California Department of Public Health, the 452R variant is the strain that was first detected in the United Kingdom, and the CDC says it may spread from person to person more rapidly. So far, there is no evidence to suggest the variant might make people sicker.
Lake County has 369 active COVID-19 cases with 19 people hospitalized. Mendocino County has 258 people in isolation with 10 people hospitalized and 1 person in ICU. As of yesterday, ICU capacity remaining for the northern region is 30.5%.