Two cases of the new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa have been confirmed in Arizona, state health officials announced on Friday.
Variant B.1.351 COVID-19 appears to spread at a faster rate than the original common coronavirus strain. It was first detected in early October and first identified in the United States in late January.
Vaccines currently approved so far appear to be effective against this variant, although research is ongoing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is some evidence that one of the mutations in the variant may affect the work of the antibodies, says the CDC.
The CDC identifies multiple variants of the virus that are circulating globally and nationally, including variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil.
State health officials have already confirmed cases in Arizona of the variants first identified in the UK and Brazil, which are also more transmissible.
“These variants appear to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19,” says the CDC. “An increase in the number of cases will put more pressure on health resources, lead to more hospitalizations and potentially more deaths.”
The two B.1.351 cases were announced by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health and Translational Genomic Research Institute (TGen).
“It is typical for viruses to change by mutation as they continue to spread, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Sometimes new variants appear and disappear. Other times, new variants appear and remain” , state health officials said in a written statement.
“The discovery of this variant in the state is another reminder that Arizonans should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they can,” said the ADHS statement.
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It is not clear how widely this variant has spread in Arizona. The state health department is working with TGen, laboratories and the CDC to monitor the spread.
On Thursday, the CDC was reporting 266 cases of variant B.1.351 in 29 U.S. states. Arizona cases released on Friday were not included in the latest national count.
The variant first identified in South Africa shares some mutations with the first one identified in the United Kingdom, according to the CDC. There is no evidence to suggest that the variant has any impact on the severity of the disease for those who are infected.
Other states where B 1,351 has been identified include California, Colorado and Texas. The CDC case numbers are from a sample of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples and do not represent the total cases of strain B.1.351 that may be circulating in the USA and may not correspond to the numbers of states, territories, tribes and local authorities, says the CDC.
The Arizona Department of Health Services recommends precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, walking away, hand washing and staying home when you are ill. The more widespread the coronavirus is in the community, the more it replicates and mutates.
That is why health officials say it is important to contain the spread with mitigation and vaccination measures.
About 17% of Arizona’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and health experts say that a vaccination level of about 70% or more is needed to reach a level of community immunity high enough to prevent future outbreaks.
Governor Doug Ducey on Thursday lifted all remaining restrictions on COVID-19 for companies and removed localities’ ability to impose mask mandates. The state health department still encourages people to wear masks when they are in public or not yet vaccinated.
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