TOLEDO, Ohio — There are now multiple variants of COVID-19 across the country, and doctors say the first variant cases are here in northwest Ohio.
On Tuesday, local health officials announced they had found a new strain in Lucas County.
"(This one) started in the UK. It's the UK variant and now it came over to the United States and unfortunately they found it in Lucas County. Ottawa (County) Health Department did," said Eric Zgodzinski, health commissioner for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.
This came as no surprise to the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.
But Dr. Kevin Casey, the chief clinical officer for Mercy Health Toledo, said there is hope with the vaccine.
"So far, they haven't found one (variant), that I'm aware of, that the vaccine does not fight against, Casey said.
Although Casey and Zgodzinski understand it might be concerning and sound scary, they hope to allay fears that the news may bring to people.
"(The variant) appears to be more infectious. It doesn't appear to be as lethal but can still make you feel very sick. And still, (you'd) have the same symptoms. It's still the coronavirus. It's still a COVID-19 virus," Casey said.
This is why the doctor and health commissioner believe it is essential to be vaccinated as soon as you have the opportunity.
"There's a handful of different variants and the companies that are manufacturing the vaccines, when they come across one and they test it against it," Casey said.
"The vaccines that we have out there - all three of them, the Moderna, the Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson - appear to actually hold their own against the variants," Zgodzinski added.
Dr. Casey says if you've already had COVID, he suspects in most cases you will not contract a new variant.
But with many unanswered questions, he advises you should still get the vaccine.
"If you've had COVID and not the vaccine, how long are you immune? How long does it last? How strong is the immunity you get from COVID versus the vaccine? The evidence we have and our suspicion is that the vaccine protects mores than actually COVID and your inherent immunity does," Casey said.
He says the best way to be protected against any new variant is to be protected against the original form of the COVID-19 virus.
Casey also addressed the upcoming holiday, saying he knows many people are looking forward to getting back together with families on Easter.
Casey said people can gather in groups of 10 or less, especially if everyone in the group is fully vaccinated.
If not, wear masks and stay six feet apart.