Minnesota health officials on Monday announced the first documented case of a coronavirus variant initially detected in Brazil.
The variant, known as P.1, was confirmed by a resident of the Twin Cities metropolitan area with a recent history of travel to Brazil. The unidentified patient became ill in the first week of January after returning from Brazil, and the sample was collected on January 9, officials said.
Investigators in the case advised the patient to isolate himself and quarantine household contacts.
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“Although this variant is considered to be more transmissible than the initial strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, it remains to be seen whether the variant causes more serious illnesses,” says a statement from the health department. “This case marks the first documented instance of the Brasil P.1 variant in the United States.”
The case was investigated through surveillance, which involves 50 random samples sent weekly for the sequencing of the complete genome.
The Brasil P.1 strain was recently identified in Manaus, a city in the northwest of the Amazon. The researchers say the variant was circulating there in December. The strain includes three mutations, E484K, K417T and N501Y, similar to a variant initially detected in South Africa – which was said to “escape” the neutralizing power of antibodies in the treatment of convalescent plasma.
Moderna on Monday vowed confidence in the ability of its COVID-19 vaccine to remain effective against emerging strains of the virus, that is, variants in South Africa and the United Kingdom, following the results of a study yet to be peer-reviewed. .
Pfizer and BioNTech have already expressed confidence in the ability of COVID-19 vaccines to protect against new variants. In early January, the companies published a study not yet reviewed by peers that showed that the jab remained effective against strains in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
The United States has been fighting surveillance to detect variant strains; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has documented 293 cases of a separate, highly transmissible variant first detected in the UK, called B.1.1.7, although the CDC projects that that variant could become the dominant strain in the United States in March. British officials also recently said the strain could be more deadly.
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Meanwhile, Minnesota health officials on Monday reported two more cases of the UK strain, out of a total of eight; the most recent CDC figures list five variant cases in Minnesota.
The two new cases were found among Twin Cities residents who recently traveled to California, which has the highest number of variant cases reported across the country.
Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said mitigation measures could slow the spread of “all variants of COVID-19”, including wearing masks and practicing social detachment.
“These cases illustrate why it is so important to limit travel during a pandemic as much as possible,” said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, a state epidemiologist, in the statement. “If you have to travel, it is important to observe the symptoms of COVID-19, follow public health guidelines on how to get tested before travel, use careful protective measures during travel and quarantine and test after travel”.
Fox News’ Alexandria Hein contributed to this report.