The highly contagious virus variant identified in Michigan County 3

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A new contagious strain of coronavirus has been reported for the first time in a third county in Michigan.

Health officials say a confirmed case of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, known as B117, was reported on Sunday (February 7th).

As of Feb. 5, a total of 28 known cases of the variant have been identified in Michigan in the past month, but cases have only been reported in Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

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Read: 28 cases of COVID-19 B117 confirmed in Washtenaw, Wayne counties, officials say

The new case reported on the opposite side of the state on Sunday seems to confirm the belief of health officials that there are several cases of the virus variant in Michigan, only that they have not yet been identified.

“In essence, this is a race to cover our population; a race that opposes vaccination efforts against the transmission of infections, ”said Dr. Adam London, director of the Kent County Department of Health. “While working to minimize the impact of COVID-19 infections, variant B.1.1.7 gives the virus an increased speed.”

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By nature, a virus – especially an RNA virus such as the coronavirus – constantly moves as it infects humans, as it makes copies of itself in the process. Occasionally, several individual mutations of the virus can accumulate or occur simultaneously – giving rise to a new version of the virus that has new features, which is called a variant.

Variant B117, which was first found in the UK in late 2020, is particularly worrying due to its increased transmissibility: health experts say variant B117 is 50% more contagious than the dominant coronavirus strain in the US today.

Experts warn that variant B117 will probably become the dominant source of COVID infection in the US by the end of March this year.

The first known case of the virus variant in Michigan was identified on January 16 in a woman from Washtenaw County who had recently traveled to the United Kingdom.

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Since then, all variant cases in the state have been found only in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Washtenaw County officials say all known cases of B117 variants in that county are related to the University of Michigan community.

After the outbreak of the UM community began, all college athletics were paused until Feb. 6, and all college students living on or near the Ann Arbor campus were asked to stay home until Feb. 7 to helps reduce the spread of the virus.

Related: The University of Michigan identifies outbreaks of viruses in off-campus homes

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Three COVID-19 variants, including variant B117, have been identified in the United States so far. Only version B117 has been discovered in Michigan since February 7.

Health experts have previously said that existing therapies and vaccines are still effective against variant B117, but this is yet to be established. Some preliminary research shows that existing vaccines are effective against variant B117 – albeit to a lesser degree – but are less effective against other variants such as variant B1351, which has been found in South Africa.

More: Everything we know about virus variants in Michigan, USA

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and more contagious variants, people are encouraged to continue to take precautions, including social distancing, wearing a mask, practicing good hygiene, and avoiding crowds and gatherings.

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