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Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine said on Thursday it was no surprise that a variant of COVID-19 capable of spreading faster had been found in Pennsylvania and that she expects more of cases.
Pennsylvania announced the case early Thursday, saying it was from a person in Dauphin County who contracted it while traveling. The state has not disclosed any personal details or information about the person’s travel location.
The state said the person had mild symptoms that disappeared while the person was in self-isolation. The state said it had sought contact with others who may have been in contact with the infected person, but gave no further details.
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The variant was first detected in England in December. It has now been found in around 30 European countries.
So far, around 50 to 60 cases have been found in the United States, with about half in California and Florida and a small number in Colorado, Georgia and New York.
The variant is believed to spread faster than other strains that have circulated in the United States so far. However, there is no evidence that it makes people sicker.
Coronaviruses, including COVID-19, are known for their ability to mutate to bypass people’s immune systems.
However, experts believe that the vaccines that began rolling out in the United States and elsewhere last month are effective against the variant. Levine said: “There is every reason to suspect that the vaccine will prevent this strain.”
Identification of the variant strain requires genetic sequencing which is not commonly available. Pennsylvania sent random samples to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Preventing, apparently leading to the discovery of the case announced Thursday.
Levine said Pennsylvania expects to have the ability to detect the variant soon at the state lab and other labs in Pennsylvania.
She said the variant strain is currently not responsible for the majority of infections, but public health agencies in Pennsylvania and across the country will closely monitor the prevalence.
Experts say a variant that spreads faster could worsen the pandemic by causing more cases and deaths and causing more hospitalizations and strain on the healthcare system.
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