The new, more rapidly spreading variant of COVID-19, first detected in South Africa, arrived in the Houston area, according to the Houston Methodist Hospital.
The hospital’s system said it found the region’s first case with the problematic strain on Saturday, while sequencing the genomes of positive test results. He also found two cases of the variant first discovered in the UK, which was first confirmed in the Houston area in early January.
Initial evidence has shown that both variants can spread faster than the currently prevalent strain. More than 600 cases of the UK strain have been reported in 33 states, while Texas becomes only the fourth state to confirm a case involving the South African variant, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control. Maryland has three cases, South Carolina two and Virginia one.
The infected person is a man from Fort Bend County, whose test was positive weeks ago and recovered from the disease, said Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson Minter, Director of Health and Human Services at Fort Bend County. The patient had traveled to the country in December before his diagnosis and fell ill a few days after his return to Fort Bend. The members of his household tested negative and he did not work while he was infected, so there was no exposure in his work, said Minter.
Still, Minter said he would not be surprised to learn that the South African variant was spreading through the community.
“I think it’s important to note that this event took place several weeks ago and, basically, what we’ve been doing all along will continue to protect us while we wait for our turn with the vaccine,” said Minter. “We continue to wear our masks, we continue to distance ourselves and we continue to practice good hand hygiene. This will protect us from COVID, any variant we come into contact with. “
The cases in the UK involved two men from Houston, one of whom is in his 50s and is currently hospitalized with the virus.
Dr. David Persse, a Houston health official, said the latest cases are evidence that the UK strain is here and spreading through the community, and serve as a reminder to remain vigilant.
He said contact trackers have not yet been able to link new cases to them, but they are more recent than the Fort Bend County case. Health professionals found “very low levels” of the UK variant in the city’s wastewater sampling program.
“The end result is, and that’s really not surprising, the UK variant was not just that case found a month ago in Harris County,” said Persse. “This gentleman was probably infected here. This one. Now it’s showing up on Methodist radars, it’s showing up in hospitals, it’s showing up in wastewater. “
Dr. Wesley Long, who works with the Methodist sequencing effort, said there is no evidence in the clinical trials of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that they are less effective against variants, especially the UK strain. The CDC said some preliminary evidence shows that the Modern vaccine may be less effective, but more studies are needed.
Long said there is also limited evidence that certain other vaccines and therapies that target the COVID-19 spike protein may be less effective against the South African variant, although they are still expected to benefit most people. South Africa recently stopped using a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford after evidence emerged that it did not protect against mild or moderate illness.
The CDC says that “strict and growing compliance” with mitigation strategies, such as social detachment and wearing masks, is needed to combat the spread of the virus.
“These variants appear to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which could lead to more cases of COVID-19,” warns the CDC on its website. “An increase in the number of cases will put more pressure on health resources, lead to more hospitalizations and potentially more deaths.”