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A study yesterday in Cell Reports Medicine shows the B117 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom in December, is 45% more transmissible than the original, wild-type COVID-19 virus, but Pfizer's mRNA vaccine protected elderly populations against infections caused by the variant. The study was based on cases documented in Israel from Dec 6, 2020, through Feb 10, 2021. Within 3.5 weeks of detection, B117 was the dominant strain in Israel. But the nation took a three-pronged approach to controlling a spike in cases, including expanded polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, focused surveillance in nursing homes, and prioritized vaccination of those 60 years and older with BNT162b2, the two-dose Pfizer-/BioNTech vaccine. (4/21)

Two California-bred coronavirus variants are about 20% more infectious than the original virus, according to a study published Tuesday by researchers at UCSF, UC Berkeley and the California Department of Public Health. The study results, published in the journal Cell, support previously released research out of UCSF and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub that had not yet been vetted by peer review. (Arredondo, 4/21)

A so-called R.1 coronavirus lineage variant was detected in an outbreak at a Kentucky nursing facility where nearly all residents were vaccinated, according to one of the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health departments noted that coronavirus infections cropped up in a quarter of vaccinated residents, raising concerns about vaccine impact. The unnamed skilled nursing facility offered all residents and staff vaccinations beginning in January, with 90.4% of 83 residents taking up a vaccine and just over half of staffers accepting doses as well. (Rivas, 4/21)

Michigan's coronavirus case rate has begun to fall, dropping 12.5% over the last week, suggesting the state's third surge — the worst in the U.S. — may be waning. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that the seven-day average of new cases in Michigan fell from 551.8 per 100,000 people on April 14 to 483 per 100,000 Wednesday. "It's pretty early in the dip to say it's going to be sustained," said Ryan Malosh, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, "but it does look like we have peaked." (Jordan Shamus, 4/21)

New Texas COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to register Wednesday at an above-average pace. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 4,518 new cases and 82 COVID-19-related deaths, compared to the rolling seven-day daily average of more than 3,247 new cases and 55 deaths as calculated by Johns Hopkins University researchers. (4/21)

Nevada on Wednesday reported 436 new coronavirus cases and 11 additional deaths over the preceding day, continuing a recent streak of above-average daily updates. Figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 311,750 cases and 5,388 deaths. The new cases and deaths reported on Wednesday remained well above the moving 14-day averages for both metrics. The average daily recorded cases for the period fell slightly to 269, while average daily fatalities stood three, state data shows. (Newberg, 4/21)