Second B.1.1.7 Confirmed case in Hawai’i

A second case of COVID-19 with variant B.1.1.7 was confirmed in Hawai’i.

The Hawaii Department of the State Department of Health Laboratories reports that both cases involve people on O’ahu. None of them have a history of travel.

It is not known that the people had contact with each other.

The DOH Outbreak Control Division continues the active investigation of both cases and ensures that both individuals are isolated and that contacts are quarantined.

The two recent confirmations were among four samples previously identified in Hawai’i as having a molecular index consistent with variant B.1.1.7. The other specimens are still under analysis.

Variant B.1.1.7, initially detected in the United Kingdom, is highly transmissible and spreads faster than other common COVID-19 strains.

The State Laboratories Division performs genome sequencing on 300 copies per month.