AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine confirmed a case of a worrying variant of the coronavirus originating in Brazil, the state health secretary announced Friday.
The Brazilian strain – also known as the P1 variant – has 15 confirmed cases of a strain of the virus that originated here in the United Kingdom and four cases of a South African strain, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Maine has tested about 5 percent of recent positive coronavirus cases for the new strains, the agency said.
The patient with a positive test for the Brazilian variant is a resident of Franklin County, with no recent history of international travel, according to the Maine CDC. The first case of the UK variant – detected in early February – was in a patient who traveled outside this country.
All viruses mutate, resulting in many strains, and most variants are not of concern. But scientists around the world have raised concerns about variants in Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom as having the potential to spread more easily, lead to more serious diseases and more likely to reinfect individuals who have had the virus in the past.
Health experts pointed to the prevalence of new strains as a possible explanation for why the virus cases in Maine remained stubbornly high, even with the nationwide accelerated vaccine launch and outbreaks in long-term care facilities have been virtually eliminated.
The authorities also warned of less adherence to physical distance measures due to pandemic fatigue and advised Mainers – especially those who have not been vaccinated – to continue using facial coverings and avoid large crowds. But Maine continued to ease economic restrictions, with bars and tasting rooms allowed to reopen for indoor seating on Friday.
Early evidence suggests that vaccines protect against variants, with the vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson performing well in a South African study. The Pfizer vaccine appeared to neutralize the virus in a laboratory study, Reuters reported earlier this month. As of Friday, just over 18 percent of Mainers had completed their vaccination.