GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WILX) – A more contagious COVID-19 strain was first reported in a third county in Michigan.
According to the Kent County Health Department, a confirmed case of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, known as B117, was reported on Sunday, February 7.
There have been 30 cases of variant B117 identified in Michigan so far.
“It is fundamentally a race for the coverage of our population; a race that opposes vaccination efforts against the transmission of infections, ”said Dr. Adam London, Director of KCHD. “While we are working to minimize the impact of COVID-19 infections, variant B.1.1.7 is giving the virus greater speed.”
B117, which originated in the UK, is worrying according to health experts, because it is 50 percent more transmissible, leading to a faster spread of the virus and potentially increasing the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Michigan’s first known case of the virus variant was identified on January 16 in a woman from Washtenaw County who had recently traveled to the UK
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