BISMARCK – The North Dakota Department of Health announced on Wednesday, March 17, that at least four residents tested positive last month for a new coronavirus strain originating in California.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added coronavirus strains B.1.427 and B.1.429 to their “variant of concern”, which were first detected in California. Initial research shows that these variants are about 20% more infectious than other common strains in the U.S.
Preliminary research indicates that immunity after contracting and recovering from California strains may not be guaranteed, said Kirby Kruger, director of disease control at the North Dakota Department of Health. COVID-19 vaccines commonly administered in the United States may also not be as effective against California strains. In contrast, vaccines have shown, in initial research, to be effective in preventing diseases of the UK variant.
Seven North Dakota residents tested positive for the UK strain last month. The Department of Health says the variants have been identified across the state, although it refuses to say specifically where the positive individuals were found.
Although only a total of 11 cases of COVID-19 variants have been identified across the state, the Department of Health says there are probably more cases in North Dakota because many people who are positive do not get tested and the state is not. able to screen all variant tests.
“I suspect that these variants are probably circulating within the state and have just passed the detection radar,” said Kruger.
At least 48 states have identified positive cases of the UK variant, and nearly 4,700 cases of the variant have been reported across the country as of Tuesday. Minnesota confirmed 251 cases of the UK strain on Tuesday, according to the CDC.
Readers can contact Forum reporter Michelle Griffith, a member of Report for America, at [email protected].