Credit: Maryland National Guard via Flickr
According to members of the Minnesota Department of Health, a more contagious variant of the coronavirus is likely to be spread throughout Minnesota.
The B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the UK, has now been confirmed by genome sequencing in nearly 500 minnesotans who tested positive for COVID-19, and that’s probably just a small piece of the puzzle.
“We have now identified 479 cases of this variant. We estimate that 50-65% of the Covid positive samples tested on March 16-20 were B.1.1.7. This is an increase compared to the samples of March 10-15 in which 38-44% of those specimens were estimated to be B.1.1.7, “said Dr. State epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield during a press call on Tuesday.
Lynfield said there is likely a “widespread carryover” of the B.1.1.7 variant in Minnesota, adding that B.1.1.7 “already dominates”.
“We are not identifying all cases of B117, but of the cases we have identified, about 5% have been hospitalized. We will be monitoring this closely as we expand our sequencing efforts and identify more cases,” said Lynfield.
The news that the variant will gain a state stronghold comes at the same time that Minnesota is making significant strides in the field of vaccines. About 25% of the minnezotans have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while about 15% of the state’s 5.6 million residents have completed the vaccination series.
Lynfield described the current situation as a ‘race’ between vaccination and the spread of B.1.1.7, which she said has a ‘higher attack rate’ meaning it can infect more people than SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that started the pandemic).
“Most minnesotans are not yet fully vaccinated. That means we have millions of minnesotans prone to COVID-19 infection and the health consequences that come with it,” said Lynfield.
“A more contagious virus spreading widely among millions of sensitive minnesotans – some tempted to reduce their social aloofness, masking, and other precautions – could help a third spike in Covid cases and a corresponding increase in hospitalizations and deaths. stir up. “
The good news is that the vaccine has proven to be very effective so far. Of the nearly 850,000 Minnesota who completed the vaccine series, only 89 tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after receiving their second injection.
None of the 89 patients who tested positive after completion of the vaccine series died. The vaccines are about 95% effective, so it’s very possible that about five out of 100 people who are fully vaccinated are still susceptible.