US Navy / Jonathan Berlier via Flickr
America’s first recorded case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant that originated in Brazil took place in Minnesota, and the CDC has released a report revealing how it got here and how it was investigated.
The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed the first case of the P.1 variant on Jan. 25, a few weeks after the variant was first confirmed in travelers from Brazil during a routine inspection at an airport in Tokyo.
The variant, which is up to 2.2 times more transmissible than the original COVID strain and has mutations in peak protein receptor binding that has raised concerns that the vaccine can bypass naturally-built immunity, emerged during an ongoing disaster in Brazil, of which president Jair Bolsanaro has been criticized for not taking steps to curb COVID and roll out vaccinations, and he derided COVID as “a minor flu” despite claiming more than 250,000 lives in his country.
The first US case was reported in Minnesota after a person became symptomatic in early January and was hospitalized for 9 days.
During the investigation of the case, it was found that they had traveled to southeastern Brazil within 14 days before symptoms started, and their travel partner – who lives in the same household – also tested positive after returning.
The Minnesota Department of Health has been testing 100 COVID samples per week for possible variants since December, and genome sequencing of the two samples confirmed the P.1 variant in both.
So far, the two cases remain the only confirmed P.1 variants in Minnesota, according to CDC figures, while the more widespread B.1.1.7 variant in the UK has seen 78 cases. However, given the limitations of MDH genome sequencing, there may be more than has been discovered.
The CDC says the hospitalized patient interacted with four health care facilities while having the virus, with testing offered to 111 health professionals who came into contact with them, but no high-risk exposures.
Subsequently, 22 employees took COVID tests and none were positive.
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MSP Airport was also informed that the pair who had the variant were traveling internationally and arriving in MSP on a domestic flight, but because “19 days had passed since the flights, CDC did not initiate a full investigation into contact with the aircraft.”
However, it did obtain the information of potentially exposed passengers and notified health departments where they lived. Another 42 people who may have been in close contact with the couple in Minnesota were also offered tests. Twenty of them have passed tests, all of them negative.
The CDC says the discovery of the P.1 variant “ underscores the importance of community prevention strategies to slow the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, ” including the use of “ well-fitting masks, ” social distancing, hand washing , regular testing and the use of quarantines and isolation for anyone who tests positive or has symptoms.