A mutated, more transmissible strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in Summit County, officials said Monday, the third instance of the so-called “British variant” identified in Utah.
It comes at a time of local optimism as vacation-related COVID peaks have largely receded and county’s cases are at rock bottom since the fall, completely 65% lower than a January 9 high.
Rich Bullough, director of Summit County Health, said the variant was found in a COVID-19 sample from a Summit County woman under the age of 30. No other information is available about her case, including when she was diagnosed or the severity of her illness.
Bullough’s update from the Summit County Board of Health Monday focused on what he called “a lot of good news,” including several improving statistics on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic locally.
“I just can’t tell you how happy I look at these numbers compared to where we’ve been,” Bullough told the board.
He warned residents to continue to follow public health guidelines, including avoiding crowds, wearing a mask, and washing hands regularly, and said the encouraging trends could easily reverse.
And the advent of the variant could contribute to such a reversal, Bullough pointed out, as the strain is more contagious than the traditional virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-CoV-2.
British officials reported the existence of the new variant. December 14th. In January, Utah officials announced that the mutated virus had entered the state, found in a Salt Lake County man who was diagnosed in December. That man was also relatively young, 25-44 years old, and experienced only mild symptoms of COVID-19.
State health officials say the vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer, the only ones approved in the US, are believed to be effective against the mutation.
Despite initial reports from scientists in the UK, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more research is needed to determine if the variant is indeed more deadly than other forms of the virus.
The Utah Public Health Laboratory has studied the makeup of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a statement from the county, with the goal of sequencing the genomes of 10% of samples from across the state.
On Jan. 31, the CDC reported 467 cases of the new variant in the US. and that it has spread to most states and many other countries.
While the strain may not be more deadly, officials have indicated that a more contagious virus could still be cause for concern.
When the number of cases increases, the virus eventually makes its way through households to more vulnerable people, officials say, ultimately leading to hospitalizations and deaths.
Summit County epidemiologist Louise Saw told the board it took longer for the peak to subside after New Year’s Eve because the disease continued to infect roommates and family members days and weeks after their close contacts contracted the virus.
She also said the latest wave had gotten quite a bit younger, indicating to her that a possible “ New Year’s Eve party audience ” was infected.
Bullough said most of the new cases come from small group meetings. With the holidays largely behind us, some board members wondered if Super Bowl parties would spread the virus in the same way.
Because COVID-19 has only recently entered the human population, the long-term effects of the disease remain unknown, even in the most mild-appearing cases.
Summit County Councilor and new Board of Health member Roger Armstrong warned the council not to downplay seemingly benign cases, indicating that he continued to treat the symptoms of his battle with the virus.
An increase in the number of cases, which could drive the British variant, would also increase the chance that the virus will evolve into more dangerous variants.
“In order for the virus to mutate, it must multiply and in order to multiply it must have a host,” Deputy County Manager Janna Young said at a public meeting last week, echoing recent statements by national health officials. calling on Americans to seek a vaccine and continue to follow health guidelines to make it more difficult for the virus to spread.
Utah hospitals remain overcrowded, and Bullough told the board that Park City Hospital has sent some patients to home care while they would have stayed in the hospital in non-pandemic times.
He has said that the number of hospitalizations lags two weeks or more behind changes in the number of new cases, and that he hoped the number of hospitalizations would continue to decline.
On Sunday, the percentage of intensive care beds in use in the 16 hospitals in Utah with the most COVID patients was 82%. That is in line with the lowest total since early November and is below the 85% threshold that officials say the level of care is declining.