3 new cases of the COVID-19 B117 variant found in St. Clair County – here are the details

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. – Three new cases of the most contagious Variant COVID-19 B117 were identified in St. Clair County.

St. Clair County health officials said the first case of B117 in their county was identified in February. Now, three additional cases have been confirmed.

The cases were found in a man in his 30s, a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 40s, according to the health department.

The man and woman in their 40s have completed isolation, but the woman in her 60s has died, officials said.

The woman in her 40s was a close contact with the woman in her 60s, according to St. Clair County health officials.

B117 was originally identified in the United Kingdom, but has spread to the United States. It is transmitted more easily among people, but there is no indication that it causes more serious cases of COVID-19, experts said.

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“We are reducing investigations of variant cases,” said Dr. Annette Merchante, a medical health officer in the St. Clair County Health Department. “Suspicious cases will be contacted more often and quarantined for 14 days, instead of 10.

“As the variant can be more contagious, the virus can infect more people with less exposure. It is imperative that our residents continue to follow all preventive measures, especially since the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of the vaccine for variants are still being studied ”.