GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Kent County Department of Health says it has 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 didn’t happen earlier than this,” said Dr. Adam London, director of KCHD.
According to London, a 20-year-old woman hired her, but it is not clear how. He says there is no travel history in the UK, where the variant came from last year.
“This was a specimen that was sequenced by the state of Michigan for identification as a variant,” said London. “Right now, they’re extracting some of these samples across the state as part of a surveillance effort to find out where this variant is spreading.”
London says the woman has recovered since then and is doing well. KCHD does not think it has spread it to anyone else, but it is following the contacts.
“We are now looking at their close contacts and making sure they are not spreading from them, and we are also looking at other cases that were close to this person,” London said.
Kalamazoo County confirmed its first B.1.1.7 case on Friday to an 80-year-old man. The state’s first case took place in Washtenaw County in January.
While the symptoms and severity of the new strain do not appear to be different from the original ones, London says B.1.1.7 is spreading more easily, which is why the mutation is a cause for concern. According to London, the transmission is 50-70% higher.
London is worried about the impact of the further spread, saying that from now on, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in western Michigan are manageable.
“Keep doing those things that make it difficult for the coronavirus to spread,” London said. “Wearing facial covering, social distance, avoiding meetings and parties and good hand hygiene.”
London adds that continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible is essential. He says current research shows that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appear to protect against B.1.1.7.
“We will continue to look for this and any other options that may occur in West Michigan,” London said. “It’s very important to find these options and isolate them as best we can, so we’re trying to break them from becoming dominant in our community.”
KCHD encourages testing people who have traveled from Michigan in the past 14 days, especially in areas where the new variants are widely circulated.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has identified 30 cases of variant B.1.1.7 in Michigan.