The first case of the COVID-19 variant was identified in Lake County, health officials announced Saturday.
The Lake County Health Department 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 Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Department of Public Health director Friday, while also highlighting social aloofness and hand washing. “Like all those things we’ve said … the message doesn’t really change, it just means it’s more important than ever to stick to it [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 on Friday, both Ezike and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said 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.