The vaunted “South African” variant of COVID-19 has been discovered in Hawaii.
The State Department of Health State Laboratories Division (SLD) identified the technically named B.1.351 variant in an O’ahu resident with no travel history.
To date, it is the first and only incident of the variant to have been confirmed in Hawaii. However, Dr. Sarah Kemble, acting state epidemiologist, said that contact tracking has revealed positive tests in individuals associated with the case, meaning that further spread in the community is very much possible.
“This is concerning because B.1.351 has a mutation that makes it more transferable from one person to another, and a separate mutation that makes it less responsive to the antibodies we form when we have COVID or are vaccinated,” said SLD- director Dr. Edward Desmond.
The mutation that increases transmissibility is called N501Y. The mutation that can decrease the effectiveness of antibodies is called E484K.
The N501Y and E484K mutations had previously been seen in Hawai’i, but this is the first time both mutations have been found together in one virus.
“While there have been theoretical concerns as to whether vaccination will be effective against new strains variants, the real-world data so far is reassuring,” said Kemble. “A study in South Africa showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was effective in preventing serious illnesses requiring hospitalization and in preventing death, even if B.1.351 was the predominant strain.”
She added that from a standard scientific perspective, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines would logically be effective against the South African variety as well. However, those two companies do not yet have the data Johnson & Johnson has because they have not specifically tested their products in South Africa during pilot phases.
“There are theoretical concerns,” said Kemble, “(but) right now the data is promising. The more people get vaccinated, you won’t even get a foothold for these viruses. Threat. “
Kemble further noted that the South African variant ⚊ and other potentially antibody and vaccine resistant variants now identified in Hawai’i, including one from Brazil, have not been proven to cause more serious illness in people who contract them. .
In addition to the South African tribe, two new cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, also known as the British variant, have been identified in the islands since the latest state report. That means that a total of eight B.1.1.7 variant cases have been discovered in Hawaii so far.
The UK variant, first discovered in Hawai’i in early February, has the N501Y transmissibility mutation, but not the E484K mutation. The most recent cases of B.1.1.7 involve two residents of O’ahu, one who has traveled to the mainland United States (Las Vegas) and a family contact of that person.
Investigation of cases of recently discovered variants is ongoing. Close contacts have been quarantined.
“Research shows that community mitigation measures are effective in reducing the risk of transmission of even the most aggressive variants,” said Dr. Elizabeth Char, Director of State Health. “This means that wearing masks, keeping a physical distance and washing hands is more important than ever. The effectiveness of vaccines in preventing serious illness or death means that we should get vaccinated as soon as it is our turn. ”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Monday, stating that people who are fully vaccinated can congregate in small, private settings without masks. Dr. Kemble explained this as part of the DOH press conference.
“We still need to be well aware of who is at risk,” she said. “Once everyone is fully vaccinated, you can have a meeting without masks on.”
However, Kemble added that if someone is present at risk of serious consequences, social distance and wearing a mask should be observed. Regardless of vaccine status, everyone must continue to follow DOH safety protocols when interacting in public areas.
The SLD continues to perform weekly genomic sequencing on COVID samples from across the state to detect variant strains, including strains of concern. This systemic search for variant strains is accomplished with the collaboration of private sector laboratories.