.
IT'S A NEW YEAR WITH THE
SAME PROBLEMS MADE EVEN WORSE.
TONIGHT, IN CASE NEEDED IT,
MORE PROOF THAT COVID-19 DOES
NOT CARE WHAT THE CALENDAR
SAYS.
WHILE THERE IS REASON TO HOPE
2021 WILL EVENTUALLY MEAN THE
END OF THE PANDEMIC, GETTING
THERE WILL BE A DANGEROUS
JOURNEY.
ON THIS FIRST DAY OF THE NEW
YEAR, THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIALLY HAS REACHED 20
MILLION CASES OF COVID-19.
TO PUT THE LEVEL OF THAT
FAILURE INTO PERSPECTIVE, WE
HAVE THE MOST CASES IN THE
WORLD.
THE SECOND WORST IN THE WORLD
IS INDIA AND EVEN THOUGH THEY
HAVE FOUR TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE
AS WE DO, WE HAVE ALMOST TWICE
AS MANY CASES AS THEY DO.
CALIFORNIA IS THE WORST OF THE
50 STATES.
TODAY, IT REPORTED 585 COVID-19
DEATHS IN A SINGLE DAY.
THE HOSPITALS ARE, ACCORDING TO
ONE HEALTH OFFICIAL THERE, ON
THE BRINK OF CATASTROPHE.
HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA, CASES
ARE SURGING.
THIS IS WITHOUT KNOWING THE
EFFECTS YET OF HOLIDAY
GATHERINGS.
FOR MORE, LET'S GO LIVE TO
JESSICA VALLEJO.
JESSICA?
Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT.
LAST NIGHT, WE SAW MANY PEOPLE
OUT AND MANY OF THEM WERE NOT
FOLLOWING THOSE CDC GUIDELINES.
WHAT IS REALLY CONCERNING NOW,
HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THAT NEW
STRAIN IN FLORIDA FROM THE U.K.
IS 50% MORE CONTAGIOUS.
TAKE A LISTEN.
WE'RE OVERWHELMED.
Reporter: IT'S THE NEW YEAR
AND EXHAUSTED HEALTHCARE
WORKERS ARE STARTING 2021 LIKE
THEY ENDED 2020, TRYING TO SAVE
LIVES IN HOSPITALSEVER FLOWING
WITH PATIENTS.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSPITALS
ARE SO OVERCROWDED, SOME ARE
BEGINNING TO RATION TREATMENTS.
THIS BOTTLE WE'RE SO
OUTNUMBER -- THIS BATTLE,
WE'RE OUTNUMBERED.
Reporter: THE NEW YEAR
BROUGHT IN A NEW STRAIN OF COVE
TIED FLORIDA FIRST IDENTIFIED
IN THE U.K.
THE MAYOR OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
SAID -- .
THIS NEW VARIANT MORE
CONTAGIOUS TELLS US, ONCE
AGAIN, THAT THIS IS NOT CHILD'S
PLAY.
Reporter: FINDING VARIANTS
IS KEY TO STOPPING THE
CLUSTERS, BUT THE U.S. IS DOING
ONLY A FRACTION OF THE GENETIC
SEQUENCING NEEDED SAID JAMES
LOU, THE PRESIDENT OF HELIX, A
COMPANY HELPING TO TRACK THE
PERHAPS OF THIS NEW STRAIN.
WE'RE PROBABLY
UNDERSAMPLING.
WE'RE LIKELY TO BE HAVING SOME
CIRCULATION OF THAT WITHIN THE
COMMUNITY ITSELF.
Reporter: DR. MARTY, THE
INFECTION DISEASE SPECIALIST
WHO HAS BEEN ON THE FRONT LINE
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE
PANDEMIC, SAID THE NEW VARIANT
IS BELIEVED TO BE 50% MORE
CONTAGIOUS AND THERE IS A
GROWING CONCERN BECAUSE IT
SPREADS FASTER.
AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE
REALITY ABOUT THIS VARIANT, IT
HAS 14 MUTATIONS.
OF THOSE 14 MUTATIONS, THREE
ARE PARTICULARLY BAD BECAUSE
THEY'RE ALTERING HOW THE SPIKE
PROTEIN WORKS AND HOW IT'S
SHAPED.
FIRST, IT LATCHES ON BETTER AND
THEN IT GETS INTO OUR CELLS
EASIER AND ANOTHER CHANGE THAT
IS PART OF THE 14 MUTATIONS IS
ALLOWING THE VIRUS TO REPLICATE
FASTER INSIDE OUR CELLS, WHICH
MEANS THAT EACH PERSON THAT
GETS INFECTD WITH THIS HAS A
LOT MORE VIRUS TO SHARE WITH
OTHERS AND THE VIRUS THEY SHARE
IS MORE LIKELY TO GET INSIDE OF
YOUR CELLS AND CAUSE DAMAGE.
Reporter: HEALTH EXPERTS ARE
PREDICTING AN EXPLOSION IN
COVID CASES, PARTLY DUE TO NEW
YEAR'S GATHERINGS AND PEOPLE
TRAVELLING OVER THE HOLIDAYS.
THIS WAS A SCENE NEW YEAR'S EVE
ON SOUTH BEACH.
IT WAS PACKED HERE.
WHEN WE LET A WILD VIRUS
SPREAD NOT ONLY ARE WE
INCREASING THE RISK TO
INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY HIGH-
RISK INDIVIDUALS, BUT WE'RE
ALSO FACILITATING THE CREATION
OF MORE VARIANTS.
WE MAY GET TO ONE WHERE THE
VACCINE DOESN'T WORK WHERE WE
HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN.
REALLY, IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT
THAT WE ALL DO EVERYTHING WE
CAN.
Reporter: AND EARLIER, I DID
ASK DR. MATTER WILL THE VACCINE
PROTECT YOU FROM THIS NEW
STRAIN.
SHE SAID THAT IS THE MILLION-
DOLLAR QUESTION, ALTHOUGH SHE
BELIEVES IT WILL PROTECT YOU,
THEY'RE STILL TESTING THIS NEW
STRAIN.
LIVE IN MIAMI, JESSICA VALLEJO,
CBS 4 NEWS TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT LEAVE