ILLINOIS – A coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa arrived in Illinois, public health officials said on Thursday.
A resident of Rock Island was recently confirmed to have variant B.1.351, the first known case in the state, officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health announced. The department also confirmed that Illinois has 22 cases of variant B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the United Kingdom.
311K vaccinated against coronavirus in IL; 22 UK variant cases
IDPH director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said public health officials “expected to see more cases” of coronavirus variants, including those from South Africa and the UK, warning that they could lead to a further increase in cases .
“These variants appear to spread more quickly, which could lead to more cases of COVID-19 and even another outbreak,” said Ezike in a statement. “Our best way to defeat this virus as quickly as possible is to wear our masks and get vaccinated when it is our turn.”
Cases of the South African coronavirus variant were first identified in the United States in late January, and researchers are working to determine whether currently approved vaccines will offer the same level of protection against it and other variants, according to the report. IDPH.
Public health authorities are also monitoring a variant known as P.1, which appeared in Brazil. There were no identified cases of variant P.1 in Illinois as of Friday.