LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — More and more states have reported cases of the COVID-19 variant. It was first found in the United Kingdom months ago and now there are two other variants circulating the United States.
On the CDC's website, it lists three variants that are circulating globally right now: the UK variant, the South African variant, and the most recent, the Brazilian variant.
With some of these cases in neighboring states, Dr. Jennifer Dillaha with the Arkansas Department of Health believes it could already be inside our state lines... just undetected.
So what does this mean for Arkansans?
"It's very important to keep the spread of the virus as low as possible in Arkansas," she said.
Dr. Dillaha said the lower the numbers go, the less likely the variants will gain a foothold in our state.
"I don't think we'll be able to do it completely forever, but we need to do it as long as possible," she said.
While the different variants rapidly spread in states around us, Dillaha is worried more surges could take place in the future.
"As more people get infected, we'll see an increase in the number of cases, and then we'll see an increase in the number of hospitalizations and then we'll see an increase in the number of deaths, which is just what we're coming off and we don't want to go there again," she said.
So how do we make sure we don't go down that path again?
Dillaha said, while there are no guarantees, there's one thing you can do now to keep yourself and those around you protected: get vaccinated when it's your turn.
"Our information tells us that, so far, the current vaccines will be effective against these viruses," she said.
Down the road, according to Dillaha, it is possible the vaccines could lose their effectiveness if the viruses continue to mutate, but that's not something that should concern us right now.
She said her biggest worries are seeing another spike in cases and overwhelming our already overworked healthcare workers.
The state's top epidemiologist is pleading for Arkansans to not get discouraged.
"Now is not the time to pull back, we need to keep going," Dillaha said.
We know you've heard it time and time again, but Dillaha said the best way to protect yourself against these variants is following those same guidelines we know by heart now: wash your hands, keep your distance and wear a mask.