South Africa’s COVID-19 strain is now in southwestern Virginia

Doctors diagnosed a person in southwestern Virginia as having one of the new strains of the coronavirus.

An adult in southwestern Virginia tested positive for variant B.1.351 of SARS-CoV-2, the strain that emerged in South Africa last year, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

[Where are Virginia’s coronavirus cases? The health department’s interactive map]

This marks the third case of this strain in Virginia.

In addition, the VDH reports that there are 12 cases of the strain that first appeared in the UK here in Virginia.

The VDH states that this strain is associated with increased person-to-person transmission of COVID-19.

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In the United States, 19 cases of variant B.1.351 were detected in 10 states on February 16.

[Virginia sees 2,304 new coronavirus cases, now reporting 557,896 statewide]

While scientists are working to better understand its impact on vaccine effectiveness, early data suggest that currently authorized vaccines are effective against the new variant, according to the VDH.