covid variants

A booster shot of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine generated a promising immune response against the B.1.351 and P.1 variants first identified in South Africa and Brazil, respectively, the company announced Wednesday, citing early data from an ongoing clinical trial.

Lawmakers on Tuesday dug into the details of the various COVID-19 variants that have been spreading around the globe and here in Massachusetts, and began to probe the ramifications the mutations could have on the economic reopening, the return to in-person schooling and more. The COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Committee and the Committee on Public Health jointly pulled…

Officials on the Cape are working to prepare for a busy season, even amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the area.

Massachusetts has 58 cases of the variant, known as P.1, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s the third highest total in the country. Florida leads with 64, followed by Illinois with 59 cases. Of the Bay State’s 58 cases, a whopping 50 are in Barnstable County. There are four each in Essex and Middlesex counties.

Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, says continued coronavirus safety measures are the best defense against COVID variants. Massachusetts health officials announced the state’s first case of the South African variant Tuesday night.