The Minnesota Department of Health said on Monday that it confirmed the first known case in the United States of a more contagious coronavirus variant originally found in Brazil.
The Brazil strain was found through the health department’s variant surveillance program, according to a press release. The department collects 50 random samples each week for genome sequencing.
The patient with the Brazilian variant is a resident of the Twin Cities metropolitan area who recently traveled to Brazil, according to state health officials. The person fell ill during the first week of January and the sample was collected on January 9, the state said.
“We are grateful that our testing program has helped us to find this case, and we thank all Minnesota residents who seek the test when they feel sick or have reason to take a test,” said Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm , in a statement. “We know that even as we work hard to defeat COVID-19, the virus continues to evolve like all viruses.”
Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden extended travel restrictions to Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil in an effort to stem the spread of Covid-19, especially when new strains of the coronavirus are identified.
Health officials are concerned that the Covid-19 vaccines currently on the market may not be as effective in protecting against new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus. Moderna said on Monday that it is working on a reinforcement to protect itself against another strain found in South Africa.
The strain of Brazil, called P.1, was first identified in four travelers from Brazil who were tested during routine screening in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It contains a set of additional mutations that can affect your ability to be recognized by antibodies, according to the CDC.
State health officials also said on Monday that they had found two more cases of the B.1.1.7 virus, which was first identified in the UK through last week’s variant surveillance tests. Of the two new cases of this variant, both are residents of the Twin Cities metropolitan area and both reported recent trips to California, officials said.
“These cases illustrate why it is so important to limit travel during a pandemic as much as possible,” said epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield in a 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”.