GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan. – The Kent County Department of Health says it discovered the first case of a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 in the area.
The variant is known as SARS-Cov-2 B.1.1.7.
“I’m a little surprised that we haven’t had more cases of this variant here in Western Michigan and that it hasn’t happened before,” said Dr. Adam London, director of KCHD.
According to London, a woman in her twenties hired her, but it’s unclear how. He says there is no history of travel to the UK, where the variant originated last year.
“This was a specimen that the state of Michigan sequenced to identify it as a variant,” London said. “Right now, they’re taking some of these samples across the state as part of a surveillance effort to find out where the spread of this variant is taking place.”
London says the woman has recovered since then and is doing well. KCHD does not believe that it has spread it to anyone else, but tracks contacts.
“We are now looking at their close contacts and making sure they don’t spread them and we are also looking at other cases that were close to that person,” London said.
Kalamazoo County on Friday confirmed its first B.1.1.7 case in an 80-year-old person. The first state case of the disease occurred in Washtenaw County in January.
Although the symptoms and severity of the new strain do not appear to be different from the original, London says B.1.1.7 spreads more easily, which is why the mutation is a cause for concern. According to London, transmission is between 50 and 70 per cent higher.
London is concerned about the impact of a new spread, saying that from now on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in western Michigan are manageable.
“Keep doing those things that hinder the spread of the coronavirus,” London said. “Use facial covers, distance yourself socially, avoid meetings and parties and good hand hygiene.”
London adds that continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible is also key. He says current research shows that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appear to be protected against B.1.1.7.
“We will continue to look for this variant and any other variant that may arise in West Michigan,” London said. “It’s very important that we find these variants and isolate them as best we can, so that we try to disrupt the domination of our community.”
The KCHD is encouraging testing of people who have traveled outside of Michigan in the past 14 days, especially in areas where new variants are widely circulating.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has identified 30 cases of variant B.1.1.7 in Michigan.