Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Mark D. Bogen
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO ADOPT Resolution urging airlines that fly into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) from countries with high prevalence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus to cease flights to FLL from those countries until medical experts confirm the current COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the variants spreading in those countries. (Commissioner Bogen)
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Why Action is Necessary
Required to adopt the proposed Resolution.
What Action Accomplishes
Permits Board consideration of and adoption of the proposed Resolution.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
The COVID-19 Lambda variant (the C.37 variant of SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in Peru in August 2020, and is now reportedly the dominant variant in Peru (64% of sequenced cases) and becoming increasingly prevalent in several other countries such as Chile (20% of sequenced cases) and Ecuador (11% of sequenced cases). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has labeled Lambda a “variant of interest” and has indicated more studies are needed to determine the efficacy of existing vaccines against the Lambda variant and whether it is more transmissible than other variants.
On August 30, 2021, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the Mu variant (B.1.621) a “variant of interest.” The Mu variant was first detected in Colombia in January, and has now been detected in more than 45 countries. As stated by WHO in a recent COVID-19 weekly update, “[t]he Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” indicating that it may present elevated risk for individuals who are fully vaccinated and for individuals who have already had the COVID-19 virus. The Mu variant is reportedly identified in 44% of sequenced cases in Colombia, as compared to less than 0.5% globally. The countries with the next highest prevalence of the Mu variant in sequenced cases are Mexico (2%), Peru (1%), and Canada (1%).
This item, if approved, would adopt the proposed Resolution urging airlines that fly into FLL from countries with a high prevalence of COVID-19 variants of concern or variants of interests to suspend flights from those countries to FLL until medical experts have confirmed the efficacy of current vaccines against those variants.
Source of Additional Information
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
None.