Massachusetts confirmed his first case of the COVID-19 variant that was originally identified in South Africa, health officials announced Tuesday night.
The state Department of Public Health said gThe enetic sequencing completed at the Broad Institute revealed a new case of variant B.1.351.
The woman with a positive test is in her 20s, from Middlesex County, and said she did not report traveling recently.
In Massachusetts, there are currently 34 cases of variant B.1.1.7, a different variation from the coronavirus initially found in the United Kingdom. State officials have yet to report any confirmed cases of P.1. variant, which was originally detected in Brazil.
The first positive case of the virus variant B.1.1.7 COVID-19, which led to a rapid increase in cases in the UK, was reported in the US in late December. On January 17, state officials had announced the first case at mass. also.
Of the 34 cases currently reported, few are residents who have recently traveled, indicating that most of the variant cases in the state were acquired in the community, the department said.
These variants, according Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “They seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19.” Authorities said the state laboratory is working with several academic and health partners to identify new variants of concern in the community by sequencing a subset of positive samples.
The authorities recommended continued caution, noting that the best way to combat variants in general is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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