Brazilian virus variant emerges on West Coast

The Brazilian variant of the coronavirus has emerged in Oregon, the first known such case on the U.S. West Coast, medical authorities said Tuesday.

The sample was sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the end of January by medical officials in Douglas County, Oregon.

They said they received the results back on Monday night, showing the P.1 variant.

“The P.1 variant ... appears to be related to business travel outside the United States to and from Brazil,” the Douglas County COVID19 Response Team said in a statement.

The variant appears to be more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain. It can potentially be contracted by someone who was already infected or who has been vaccinated.

There have been 10 other cases of the variant reported in the U.S., with five in Florida, two in Minnesota and one each in Oklahoma, Alaska and Maryland, the CDC says.

Florida braces for spring break

Florida is getting ready for spring break travelers to flock to its sunny beaches, but the state is considered to be in an “active outbreak,” along with Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and South Carolina, according to the data-tracking website Covidactnow.

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis made it clear during his annual State of the State address Tuesday that he welcomes more visitors to Florida in his drive to keep the state’s economy thriving.

Florida municipalities can impose their own mask rules and curfews, restrict beach access and place some limits on bars and restaurants, but some have virtually no such measures in place.

Catholic leaders wary of J&J vaccine

Roman Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans are advising Catholics that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, newly approved for use in the U.S., is “morally compromised” because it is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis on Tuesday encouraged Catholics to seek out the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and avoid the Johnson & Johnson version if possible. It called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “morally compromised” but stressed that Catholics can get that vaccine “in good conscience if no other alternative is available.”

While not disputing the church officials’ contention that an abortion-derived cell line is used in the production, Johnson & Johnson issued a statement stressing that there is no fetal tissue in its vaccine.

AP Florida Gov. Ron Desantis made it clear during his State of the State address Tuesday that he welcomes more visitors to state.