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The first case of a variant of COVID-19 that is believed to be more contagious has been identified in Dallas County, according to county officials.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said on Saturday the variant was identified in a Dallas man in his 20s who had no recent history of travel outside of the United States. Man is stable and isolated.
The health service strives to identify and warn anyone who has had close contact with humans.
Jenkins said genetic sequencing has shown the infection to be caused by the variant. This 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 the B.1.1.7 strain, although inevitable given the mobility of the modern world and the fact that we are a major transport hub, means that there is a 70% more contagious strain in our community and it will grow rapidly, ”Jenkins said in a written statement.
Dr Steven Berk, an infectious disease physician at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, has joined NBC 5 to weigh in on the British coronavirus variant.
The variant was first identified in the UK in September, and health officials have said that it appears to spread more easily and faster than other variants, but does not appear to cause any more severe symptoms.
Currently approved vaccines are believed 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 quickly it is spreading,” said Dr Philip. Huang, Dallas County director of health and human services. must remain vigilant in our fight against this virus and pursue all preventive and protective measures such as wearing our masks, washing hands and keeping them physically away. “
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