michael_swan via Flickr
State health officials reported on Friday night that there is a “rapid growth spurt” of the B117 UK COVID-19 variant in the southwestern twin cities.
The Minnesota Department of Health says there was a 62% increase in COVID cases in Carver County between February 24 and March 4, and the United Kingdom variant – which scientists determined to be more transmissible than the SARS strain – Original CoV-2 – is playing a role in this increase.
In addition, the MDH says it tracked “at least” 68 cases of COVID-19 that were associated with participants in “sports activities sponsored by schools and clubs, including hockey, wrestling, basketball, downhill skiing and other sports”.
Subsequently, there was an increase in cases at Carver County gyms and fitness centers, which contact trackers linked to sports-related cases.
MDH says it is recommending a “county-wide break” in youth sports for two weeks starting on Monday as a result, as well as “active screening, weekly tests of athletes and coaches, without meetings before / after games” .
The department is also recommending that Carver County Schools consider pausing extracurricular activities where “total detachment cannot be maintained” and local academies strictly apply mask rules, pause group classes and actively select employees for COVID symptoms.
Genome sequencing in some of the samples provided by those infected in the outbreak confirmed 24 cases of variant B117 since January 28, the largest cluster of the variant found so far, while another 18 people with COVID have been associated with people with variant B117 and are currently waiting for the results of the sequencing to determine if they also have the variant.
The variant was found in “athletes, coaches, students and domestic contacts”, says MDH, and “several schools, both public and private, confirmed cases linked to the cases of variant strains”.
The department says that many of those with the B117 variant went to school or participated in sports activities while they became infected, which led to a call from the MDH to young athletes and parents to “double” measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Subscribe: Subscribe to our BREAKING NEWS newsletters
The stoppage of youth sports was suspended in January amid cases of decline, but players still need to wear masks, despite efforts to repeal this requirement by activist group Let Them Play MN.
“We are making progress in the effort to end this pandemic, but we need all Minnesota residents to remain on guard until the work is completed,” said Minnesota health commissioner Jan Malcolm.
“The variants that circulate now carry an additional risk that we may see another increase in cases and we need everyone to do their part to prevent this from happening. That means masking, social detachment, staying at home when you are sick and taking the test when you are appropriate.”