Although the number of known cases of the variant is relatively low, the North Dakota Department of Health says that more people are likely to have been or are infected with the strain, and residents are encouraged to remain vigilant against COVID-19.
The seven cases were identified in several regions of the state, although the Department of Health declined to comment specifically on where the cases were found.
“These are the ones we know, and we are not able to track 100% of everyone who tests positive and not everyone who is positive does the test, so we know that we are not seeing the full picture here,” said Kirby Kruger, director of control for Department of Health diseases.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were almost 4,700 known cases of the UK variant across the country on Thursday, March 11. Forty-eight states have identified at least one case of the variant, with Florida reporting the highest number of the UK’s variant cases with 738 as of Thursday.
Scientists estimate that the UK variant is between 35% and 45% more transmissible than strains commonly found in the United States
The North Dakota Department of Health confirmed its first group of four cases of the UK variant a month ago, after a person recently returned from a domestic trip to another state. The others were close contacts with the traveler. Since then, the Department of Health has detected three additional cases of the UK variant. No other variant of COVID-19 was identified in North Dakota until Tuesday.
The North Dakota public health lab analyzes some of the state’s COVID-19 tests to look for the UK variant. Some of the North Dakota tests are carried out by private laboratories outside the state, and Kruger said the state does not know how many of these tests are being selected for variants.
Kruger said it is important that North Dakota residents continue to practice COVID-19’s mitigation strategies and receive the vaccine when it is their turn.
“We are encouraging people to get vaccinated. We know that at least with the UK variant, vaccination-induced immunity will provide good coverage against that particular variant, and so we are just encouraging people to get vaccinated,” said Kruger. .
Readers can contact Forum reporter Michelle Griffith, a member of Report for America, at [email protected].