MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – State health officials say a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 has been targeted in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed Thursday that the COVID variant first detected in the UK has been identified in five people in the twin cities. The cases range from 15 to 37 years. They reported feeling unwell between December 16 and 31.
Dr. George Morris and other health experts believe the new variant is more contagious.
“We’ve had over 90 million cases identified worldwide and having so many cases without expecting viral changes or changes, that’s not realistic,” Morris said.
He says the most familiar strain of COVID has about a 10% chance that an infected person will spread it to at least one other person.
(credit: CDC / NIAID)
“With this new variant, the B-117, it looks like it looks more like 15%, maybe 20%, so it’s increasing,” Morris said.
However, the variant is not believed to be more deadly. However, Dr. Morris says it could cause more deaths from faster spread to vulnerable populations.
“If the usual coronavirus spreads to 10,000 people, we will have a certain percentage of deaths,” he said. “But if this new variant extends to 20,000 people, we will have more deaths.”
For this reason, experts continue to encourage the practice of measures such as social distancing and the wearing of masks.
The good news is that preliminary studies show that COVID vaccines will offer protection against the new strain.
“We need to continue to focus on the things we’ve identified that are useful,” Morris said. “Trust our scientists, use our trusted source of information, and continue these conversations.”
Of the five new cases identified in Minnesota, only two reported recent international travel. None of the five people have been hospitalized.