Illinois reported the first case of the South African COVID-19 variant on Thursday, health officials announced.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said the first case of the coronavirus variant B.1.351, first identified in South Africa, has been found in the state.
The confirmed variant was in a Rock Island resident, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
“We expected more cases of variants discovered in Illinois, including the B.1.351 strain,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “These variants seem to be spreading faster, which could lead to more cases of COVID-19 and even a new rise. Our best way to beat this virus as soon as possible is to wear our masks and get vaccinated when it’s our turn. “
In the US, cases of the B.1.351 were first reported in late January, health officials said. Studies suggest that the antibodies produced by the current COVID-19 vaccines recognize the variant and provide “some protection.”
“IDPH will continue to work with local health departments, academic partners, laboratories and CDC to monitor cases. IDPH has increased its surveillance of these and other variants through genomic sequencing testing on a greater number of specimens,” said a release.
The Lake County Health Department last week reported the first case of the coronavirus variant B.1.1.7, the strain that has been circulating more frequently in the UK in recent months.
The person infected with the variant had traveled internationally and was in contact with a sick person before leaving to return to the US in late December, health officials said.
According to the department, the person has not experienced any symptoms of the coronavirus.
“We expect to see more cases of these new variants in Lake County as they appear to spread more easily and more quickly than other variants,” said Dr. Sana Ahmed, medical epidemiologist for LCHD. “It is extremely important that you follow quarantine recommendations and get tested if you have traveled or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.”
Health officials recalled that studies suggest the currently available COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the new strains.
In Illinois, the first known case of the more contagious species was announced by health officials on Friday, Jan. 15.
A Chicago Department of Public Health investigation found that the person had traveled to the UK and the Middle East in the 14 days prior to diagnosis, officials said, noting that the department had been working to identify the close the person’s contacts to alert them to quarantine and isolation. .
While there is still much uncertainty about the new COVID-19 variant first discovered in the UK, the top Illinois doctor said on Friday that enough is known for people to take the right precautions.
“… If anything is more transferable, it would suggest that we should do double mask wearing,” said Ezike, while also emphasizing social distancing and hand washing. “Like all those things we’ve said … the message doesn’t really change, it just means sticking to it is more important than ever now [mitigations]
A British scientist revealed some evidence to suggest that the strain carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, although he cautioned the data is uncertain.
Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 infected people, unfortunately, about 10 will die.”
“With the new variant, it is expected that about 13 or 14 people could die for 1,000 infected people,” he said.
During a newsletter on the coronavirus, both Ezike and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said that mitigation measures could be increased statewide if there is widespread reports of the new variant.
“When we see a surge in terms of the UK variant, we know that it starts multiplying very quickly once it gets a significant hold,” said Ezike. “We know the numbers are very, very low now. But that could change …”
The doctor previously warned that the newly discovered species could be dominant as early as March.
The British variant was first discovered in September, World Health Organization officials previously announced. Since then, things have skyrocketed in the UK, leading to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to impose a national lockdown.
The British variant is one of two new infectious viral strains that have recently surfaced, the CDC said in a telebriefing late last month.