1st case of British coronavirus variant confirmed in Massachusetts – NBC Boston

The first case of a variant of COVID-19 initially discovered in the UK has been confirmed in Massachusetts, health officials said on Sunday.

The individual, a Boston woman in her 20s, returned to Boston on January 3, where she stayed at Logan International Airport for a two-hour layover before flying to another state, according to the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC).

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the woman fell ill a day after returning from a trip to the UK After having tested negative for the virus before leaving the UK, the woman tested positive for COVID-19 in early January.

She is currently symptomatic and remains as she flew from Boston, according to the BPHC.

A sample taken from the woman was tested in an out-of-state lab as part of a process put in place by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor the possible spread of the variant, officially called B.1.1.7, health officials said.

The variant is believed to spread faster than the form of the virus that exists in the United States, and surveillance testing in Massachusetts is underway at the state’s public health laboratory, working with clinical diagnostic laboratories. and university partners, depending on the department. health.

Contact tracers have interviewed the woman with the COVID-19 variant and are continuing interviews now that the variant has been confirmed to cause her illness, officials said.

This variant, which was first detected in September and has since become incredibly widespread in the UK, appears to be more transmissible but not more deadly, according to the CDC. But the health agency’s page on variants warns that “an increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths.”

President-elect Joe Biden on Friday announced plans to revise the vaccine delivery schedule to fight the coronavirus, which includes the administration of 100 million doses within the first 100 days of administration.

According to the Department of Health, a total of 88 cases of variant B.1.1.7 have been identified in 14 states. Massachusetts is the second state in New England where it has been detected, after two detected in Connecticut over a week ago.

But the CDC issued a report this week that because the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 can spread faster, it could become the dominant form of the virus in the United States by March.

“Efforts to prepare the health system for further outbreaks of cases are warranted. Increased transmissibility also means that higher than expected vaccine coverage must be achieved to achieve the same level of disease control in order to protect the public. compared to less transmissible variants, ”the CDC report said.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said in early January, after the virus was discovered in the United States, that he expected it to have already arrived in Massachusetts.

Governor Charlie Baker says the new COVID-19 mutation is most likely already en masse and explains the timing of vaccine distribution in the state.

“I think most of us assume it’s here,” Baker said. “There would be no reason not to.”

State officials say public health risk reduction measures remain the same in Massachusetts.

Existing COVID-19 vaccines are said to be as effective against the new variant as they are against the original form of the virus, according to health officials and vaccine manufacturers.

There are also other variants than that found in the UK, including those found in South Africa and Brazil.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said on Tuesday that the COVID-19 variant first detected in the UK was detected in Colorado. British scientists believe the variant is more contagious than previous strains of the virus.

The first U.S. case of the variant was detected in Colorado in December. The arrival of the new variant in Massachusetts comes nearly a year since the first coronavirus patient was identified in the state.

Asher Klein contributed to this report.