GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Kent County Health Department claims to have discovered the first case of a new and more contagious strain of COVID-19 in the area.
The variant is known as SARS-Cov-2 B.1.1.7.
“I am a little surprised that we no longer have cases of this variant here in West Michigan and that it did not happen before that,” said Dr. Adam London, director of KCHD.
According to London, a woman in her 20s contracted, but it is unclear how. He says there is no history of travel to the UK, where the variant originated last year.
“This was a specimen sequenced by the state of Michigan for identification as this variant,” said London. “At the moment, they are taking some of these samples across the state as part of a surveillance effort to find out where the spread of this variant is taking place.”
London says the woman has recovered and is well. KCHD does not believe that it spread to anyone, but it is contact tracking.
“Now we are looking at his close contacts and making sure that this has not spread between them and also looking at other cases close to that person,” said London.
Kalamazoo County confirmed its first case B.1.1.7 on an 80-year-old on Friday. The first case of the sweeper in the state occurred in Washtenaw County in January.
Although the symptoms and severity of the new strain do not appear to be different from the original, London says that B.1.1.7 spreads more easily, which is why the mutation is a cause for concern. According to London, the transmission is between 50 and 70 percent higher.
London is concerned about the impact of further spread, saying that as of now, cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and deaths in West Michigan are manageable.
“Keep doing those things that hinder the spread of the coronavirus,” said London. “Use facial coverage, social distance, avoid meetings and parties and good hand hygiene.”
London adds that continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible is also critical. He says current research shows that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appear to protect against B.1.1.7.
“We will continue to look for this variant and any other variant that might come up in West Michigan,” said London. “It is very important that we find these variants and isolate them as best as we can, so we try to prevent them from becoming dominant in our community.”
KCHD is encouraging testing of individuals who have traveled outside Michigan in the past 14 days, especially to areas where the new variants are widely circulating.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has identified 30 cases of variant B.1.1.7 in Michigan.