The coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa was detected in California.
The variant, known as B.1.351, worries health officials because the current COVID-19 vaccines – one from Moderna and one from Pfizer / BioNTech – are generally considered less effective against this strain.
The South African variant was identified in two people, both in the bay area – one in Santa Clara County and one in Alameda County, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday. Nationally, there are at least nine other confirmed cases in three East Coast states: Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina.
The South African variant is different from another relative strain, first identified in Great Britain, known as B.1.1.7. This strain is considered 50% to 70% more transmissible than the conventional coronavirus strain and is expected to become the dominant strain of the virus across the country by the end of March.
The good news, however, is that the available COVID-19 vaccines are clearly effective against the UK variant, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s leading infectious disease specialist, on Wednesday.
The United Kingdom strain is already the most commonly found strain in the United States, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Wednesday. It probably comprises between 1% and 4% of cases in the United States, she said, but the proportion is probably higher in some states.
The UK strain was detected in 932 people in the United States in 34 states. In California, 159 cases have been identified, Newsom said, including in Alameda, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo and Yolo counties, according to the state Department of Public Health.
California is also studying two West Coast variants, known as B.1.427 and B.1.429, that have been identified in more than 1,000 people in the state. The variants comprised a large percentage of genomically sequenced virus samples analyzed in recent months, and scientists are studying them to determine whether they are more contagious than the conventional coronavirus variety.
California has not yet detected another relative strain first identified in Brazil, known as P.1, which was identified in two people in Minnesota and one person in Oklahoma, but has detected a closely related variant, also from Brazil, known as P. 2, in a laboratory at Stanford University.
Here is a more detailed look at what you need to know about the South Africa variant:
Currently available vaccines are less effective
Studies show that “there is a five to six-fold decrease in efficacy” of vaccines currently available against the South African strain, said Fauci, although he said the injections are still generally protective against it. “So there is a certain degree of protection, although it has decreased somewhat,” he said.
Although the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are less effective in preventing mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, the good news, said Fauci, is that vaccines still offer “substantial protection; in fact, without hospitalizations or deaths in vaccinated individuals who were infected with the [South Africa variant]. “
Scientists are already working on potential booster doses if they are needed to protect against the South African variant.
Santa Clara County Case
The two cases of the South Africa variant publicly released in California on Wednesday occurred between two unrelated people who had recently returned from international travel and were adhering to quarantine, said Dr. Sara Cody, director of public health and health officer. Santa Clara County health.
The Santa Clara County case involved “an adult who traveled internationally, returned in mid-January” and followed a mandatory order that requires people to enter the county 150 miles away and be quarantined for at least 10 days.
Several days after returning to Santa Clara County, the person developed the symptoms and was tested. Authorities learned on Wednesday morning that the patient was infected with the South African variant.
“This individual made an international trip, returned to our county and was 100% compatible with this – he stayed in his apartment – and several days after returning, he developed symptoms and was diagnosed,” said Cody. “So the good news is that at no time during the infectious period were they in contact with anyone outside their home.”
The only time the person was contagious was during the self-quarantine period at home, Cody said. The person did not need hospitalization and recovered fully.
There were few additional details available for the Alameda County case and it remains under investigation, said Dr. Nicholas Moss, Alameda County health officer. This patient is no longer infectious, said Moss, based on the date the laboratory test was performed.
Staying safe
The United States genomically sequences only a small fraction of the new coronavirus samples, so the country may take a long time to detect new variants as they proliferate.
“In a way, we must assume that perhaps these variants of concern are already circulating; we just don’t know how far, ”said Cody. “So we need to adapt and change our behavior and really bend over all the important things we are doing, like wearing masks, not meeting with anyone outside our home and keeping our distance.”
The arrival of the variants also underscores how risky it is to travel and how important quarantine is after the trip.
Federal officials continued to sound the alarm for weeks about the dangers of non-essential travel. “Avoid crowds and travel,” said Walensky of the CDC.
California remains under a travel consultancy, with the state Department of Public Health warning against non-essential travel, including for tourism or recreation, to any part of the state more than 120 miles from home or to other states or countries. The warning also strongly discourages non-essential travelers from other states and nations from visiting.
“Avoiding travel reduces the risk of transmitting the virus, including reducing the risk that new sources of infection and potentially new strains of the virus are introduced in California,” the statement said.
The notice asks all people who arrive in California or return to the state to isolate themselves for 10 days, which means they must stay home and receive food. The recommendation does not apply to healthcare professionals, emergency responders or people who routinely cross state or national borders for essential travel.
Future waves are still possible
Moss, the Alameda County health officer, said there is still a risk of future pandemic outbreaks, but they may look different from the devastating fall and winter outbreaks.
“We must certainly expect more waves to come. They can look different, ”said Moss. “We will be leaving winter here in California; more people will have received the vaccine or have a previous infection and that can affect things. ”