Texas officials on Monday announced the first confirmed case of the condition of a coronavirus variant initially detected in South Africa.
The unidentified individual traveled within the United States in December through international airports, returned to Fort Bend County and developed symptoms several days later, said Dr. Jacquelyn Johnson Minter, director of HHS in Fort Bend County, during a news conference. press release.
The person was clinically evaluated, tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the results were positive. The individual has since recovered and authorities learned of the case on Saturday, although it occurred several weeks ago. Genomic sequencing of positive tests through the Houston Methodist Hospital helped to discover the variant.
“It was this Saturday that we became aware of the fact that we had two positive isolates for the UK variant and one positive isolate for the South Africa variant,” said Dr. S. Wesley Long, of the Methodist Hospital in Houston, during the briefing. “These isolates were found in three different individuals in different parts of the greater Houston metropolitan area.”
VIRGINIA CONFIRMS THE CASE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN CORONAVIRUS VARIANT IN ADULT RESIDENT
All family members tested negative and there was no exposure in the workplace, Minter said. The authorities also detailed two additional cases of a variant first detected in the United Kingdom. Both cases occur in men; one is a patient in his fifties currently hospitalized, and the second case did not require hospitalization. The UK variant, B.1.1.7, was first announced in Texas about a month ago.
Houston officials also detected variant B.1.1.7 in various wastewater deposits at “very low levels”, but have yet to find evidence of the variant first detected in South Africa, also known as B.1.351. While the implications are unclear in terms of how many people in the community may be infected, officials said the news should not be a surprise and serves as a reminder that the pandemic is far from over.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists 17 cases of variant B.1.1.7 in Texas, although this is likely to be an underestimate.
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Minter advised the use of a mask, distance and hand hygiene to protect against all variants of the coronavirus as vaccines continue to be distributed.
Both strains are believed to be more transmissible and probably more virulent. Experts believe that the recently approved vaccines will remain effective against the variants, but the South African variant in particular has been shown to decrease the vaccine’s effectiveness. While some drug sponsors are working to create varying booster doses, the Food and Drug Administration is simultaneously working on plans to help guide newly adjusted vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for faster regulatory approval.