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WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wisconsin (CBS 58) – A second case of the more contagious variant of COVID-19 known as B.1.1.7, originally found in the UK, has been identified in County of Waukesha. Researchers say this new variant was known to spread faster, but now a new study says it’s deadlier as well.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says the second case was found on February 6. The case is now closely monitored by the Waukesha County Health Department.
“We are detecting a tip of the iceberg, and it is likely that there are more cases that have not yet been detected,” said Dr Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer of the Department of Health Services of the Wisconsin.
Dr Ryan Westergaard did not say how the Waukesha County person contracted the strain, but said the likelihood of the community spreading in the state is high. He says less than one percent of COVID-19 samples in Wisconsin are being sequenced to look for new strains.
“If not from – necessarily from this particular case, but from the number of interstate and international travel that is still happening,” he said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Waukesha County Health Department states in part:
“The case that was detected in Waukesha County was identified after testing positive for COVID-19. This individual was successfully found and ordered to self-isolate. We are working in cooperation with DHS to gather additional details to facilitate statewide surveillance. “
“This could very quickly take over and become the dominant strain, and with the time frames that we see, it could potentially happen within the next one to two months,” said Dr Ben Weston, medical director of the Office of Human Health Management. Milwaukee County Emergencies.
Dr Weston says there are three aspects that make B.1.1.7 dangerous. He says a new study in the UK finds it to be 70% more contagious, 35% more deadly and some findings show it may even evade the immune system. The increased transmissibility could play a big factor in whether B.1.1.7 becomes the next predominant strain.
“What we’ve heard from other states that have detected a greater number is that a large number of them have not traveled overseas,” said Dr Westergaard.
“We’re really facing a timeline here to try to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible to alleviate that spike as much as possible,” says Dr. Weston.
Health officials say the number of cases is currently moving in the right direction, but stress is not the time to let our guards down.
“I think we should be happy with the progress we’ve made, but we have to be vigilant and really take the risk of an additional second wave happening seriously,” adds Dr Westergaard.
Dr Weston says the increased contagiousness of this variant will make it much more difficult to control another peak. He says it’s difficult to control how a spike in new variants would affect the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
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