The first case of a COVID-19 variant that is said to be more contagious was identified in Dallas County, according to county officials.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Saturday that the variant was identified in a 20-year-old Dallas man who had no recent history of traveling outside the United States. Man is stable and isolated.
The health department is working to identify and report anyone who has had close contact with the man.
Jenkins said genetic sequencing showed the infection was caused by the variant. It is the third case in Texas caused by the variant and the first in North Texas.
The other two cases were reported in Harris County and Nueces County.
“The emergence of strain B.1.1.7, although inevitable, given the mobility of the modern world and the fact that we are a major transport hub, means that there is a strain that is 70% more contagious in our community and will grow rapidly.” Jenkins said in a written statement.
Dr. Steven Berk, Texas Tech Center for Health Sciences, PhD in Infectious Diseases, joined NBC 5 to weigh the coronavirus variant in the UK.
The variant was first identified in the UK in September, and health officials said it appeared to spread more easily and faster than other variants, but did not appear to cause more severe symptoms.
Currently approved vaccines are considered to be effective against the variant.
“This is now the third case identified in Texas and we can assume that there are more cases in our community due to the nature of this variant and how fast it is spreading,” said Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas County Director of Health and Human Services. we must remain vigilant in our fight against this virus and continue all preventive and protective measures, such as wearing a mask, washing our hands and physically distancing ourselves. “