San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Health officials say they have been notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that a county resident tested positive for COVID-19 with variant B.1.1.7, also known as a variant of the United Kingdom.
Health officials say they are investigating this case further and, to date, no other cases of this variant have been identified in the county.
This individual has completed his isolation period and is no longer infectious.
On March 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further scaled variants B.1.429 and B.1.427 from “variants of interest” to “variants of concern,” and both are prominent across the state. More than seven of these variant cases were identified in the SLO County weeks ago, before these variants were classified as worrying variants.
The CDC considers it a “worrying” variant when there is evidence that it spreads more easily, causes more serious illnesses and leads to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.
“Our community can survive this pandemic,” said Dr. Borenstein. “It will take the collective effort of our central coast community to prevent these variants from spreading. Mask, keep your distance, get tested if you have been exposed and get the vaccine when your turn comes.”
Health officials say that at the moment, vaccines in use in the United States appear to remain effective against the serious impacts of COVID-19, even against these variants.
This happened a day after two people in Santa Barbara County also had the UK variant.