The Washington Department of Health announced Saturday that the B.1.1.7 variant, which first emerged in the United Kingdom last September, has been confirmed by DNA sequencing in two cases in Snohomish County. Those are the first confirmed cases in Washington. The Oregon Health Authority confirmed a second case, in someone from Yamhill County, a week after the first case was detected in Multnomah County. Conditions for Shanghai Residents Rapidly Worsen Thousands of residents in downtown Shanghai are being relocated to hotels in emergency isolation measures after local authorities said hospital workers and patients in the city center had tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Surrounding areas have also been locked down, with residents facing rapidly worsening conditions as the government attempts to halt the spread of the virus. New Zealand Reports 1st Community Case in Months New Zealand has reported its first virus case outside of a quarantine facility in …