Credit: Maryland National Guard via Flickr
A more contagious variant of the coronavirus is probably spreading widely throughout Minnesota, according to members of the Minnesota Department of Health.
Variant B.1.1.7, first discovered in the UK, has now been confirmed through genome sequencing in about 500 Minnesotans that tested positive for COVID-19, and this is probably just a small piece of the puzzle. .
“We have already identified 479 cases of this variant. We estimate that 50-65% of Covid-positive samples tested from March 16 to 20 were B.1.1.7. This is an increase compared to samples tested from March 10 to 15 in 38-44% of these samples were estimated to be B.1.1.7, “said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, a state epidemiologist, during a press call on Tuesday.
Lynfield said there is probably “widespread transmission” of variant B.1.1.7 in Minnesota, adding that B.1.1.7 “is already dominating”.
“We are not identifying all cases of B117, however, among those we did identify, about 5% have been hospitalized. We will monitor this closely as we expand our sequencing efforts and are able to identify more cases,” said Lynfield.
News of the variant winning a fortress in the state comes at the same time that Minnesota is making significant progress on the vaccine front. About 25% of Minnesota residents received at least one dose of a vaccine, while about 15% of the state’s 5.6 million population completed the vaccination series.
Lynfield described the current situation as a “race” between vaccination and the spread of B.1.1.7, which she said has a “higher attack rate”, which means that it can infect more people than SARS-CoV -2 (the coronavirus that started the pandemic).
“Most Minnesotans are not yet fully vaccinated. This means that we have millions of Minnesotans susceptible to COVID-19 infection and the health impacts that this entails,” said Lynfield.
“A more infectious virus spreading widely among millions of susceptible minnesotans – some who may be tempted to relax their social detachment, masking and other precautions – can help fuel a third increase in Covid’s cases and a corresponding increase in hospitalizations and death. “
The good news is that the vaccine has so far proved to be very effective. Of the nearly 850,000 Minnesota residents who completed the vaccine series, only 89 tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after receiving their second injection.
None of the 89 patients who tested positive after completing the vaccination series died. Vaccines are approximately 95% effective, so it is entirely possible that about five out of 100 people who have been fully vaccinated may still be susceptible.