SPRINGFIELD, Mo (KY3) – A Greene County resident tested positive for a COVID-19 variant.
The resident tested positive for UK variant B.1.1.7 in a sample in early March, according to an announcement Friday by the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
The CDC classifies variant B.1.1.7 as a variant of concern. It is up to 50% more communicable and there is also evidence of more serious illnesses based on hospitalizations and cases
Local health leaders say they knew this would come. Dr. Robin Trotman, with CoxHealth, said that as more people contract COVID-19, it gives the virus more chances to mutate and become stronger.
“We really have to look at what’s going on in the world because we’re not special here in the United States and we’re naive to think that somehow we have guarantees,” Trotman said.
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reported that the person who tested positive for a variant from the UK had not traveled. Trotman believes this person was probably exposed to someone who had traveled through a chain of other people.
“Seriously, people should think that variants are just a small alteration in their ability to bind to our receptors, which can make a smaller dose of virus make you sicker,” he said.
This variant is considered worrying simply because doctors are not sure if they are resistant to different immunities or treatments. However, Kendra Findley, community health and epidemiology administrator at the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said the three main vaccines will still work against it.
“They all have good effectiveness for B.1.17,” he said.
Findley and Trotman said the variant is potentially more contagious.
“That’s really more of a concern when we’re talking about leaving restrictions and meeting more, which is what we’re desperate to do right now,” Findley said.
“If we don’t want these more varied variants to become dominant, we don’t have to give the virus ways to reproduce,” Trotman said.
The person sample was randomly selected and tested by the Disease Control Center as part of their genomic surveillance program.
“With 100% security, there are more of these variants in our area because we are taking such a small fraction of the viruses, and so it would be naive to think this is unique,” Trotman said.
Findley, with the health department, said experts plan to step up testing to find out how many cases of variants there might be in the Greene County region. The results should come out in the coming weeks or months.
A COVID-19 variant has one or more mutations that differentiate it from other circulating variants. Several variants have been documented in the United States.
“We knew it was only a matter of time before we located the variant in our community,” acting health director Katie Towns said in a press release. “We will remain vigilant and closely monitor the indicators we are using to monitor the current situation, including case counts and hospitalizations. The disease will spread as we move towards eliminating employment limitations and now that we have evidence that this variant is found in our community makes it more important than ever for people to be vaccinated as soon as possible and to protect themselves from the severity of the disease associated with the variant. “
The only other B.1.1.7 variant of this type in Missouri was reported in February and identified as a Marion County resident.
SGCHD offers the following recommendations to combat the spread of COVID-19 variants:
-Wear a mask
-Watching the distance
-Wash your hands
-Vaccinate yourself
To report a correction or a typo, send an email [email protected]
Copyright 2021 KY3. All rights reserved.