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A University of Portland employee is the first Oregonian identified with the contagious strain of coronavirus that has engulfed the UK, university officials said on Saturday.
The employee tested positive this week and has been in quarantine since Monday. Twelve of the employee’s close contacts are also in quarantine; three have tested negative and nine more have yet to be tested but will be, Michael Lewellen, the university’s vice president for communications, told The Oregonian / OregonLive.
Full details are still emerging, but the discovery of the most transmissible variant of the virus, known as B.1.1.7, has disturbed public health officials in the counties and states that first announced the case. times Friday. Fewer than 100 infections of the strain have been identified in the United States, but federal officials fear it will be the dominant form of the virus by March.
The discovery of the infection in Oregon stems from the testing program at the University of Portland, a private institution in North Portland that typically hosts about 4,250 students.
The university recorded three positive tests out of 565 taken between Jan.4 and Jan.10, Lewellen said. Most of the testing involved student-athletes and athletics department staff, although a small portion was not, he said.
“Our robust testing protocols detected this infection early and worked as they should,” Lewellen said in a statement announcing the link with the university.
It is not yet known how the strain was identified. Lewellen said the university was made aware of this on Friday by public health officials in Multnomah County.
While the tests identify active infections, determination of the strain of an infection is done by genomic sequencing. It is not known how many Oregonians’ tests have been sequenced or what prompts such scrutiny.
Officials from the Oregon Health Authority and Multnomah County did not answer questions on Saturday evening.
While there is no evidence that the strain first identified in the UK causes more serious health problems or is more fatal, it is believed to be more transmissible. This means it could infect more people and ultimately kill more Americans.
Vaccines approved for the coronavirus are believed to work just as effectively against the new strain.
The University of Portland employee had no known travel history before testing positive, suggesting the variant is already circulating in the metro area.
Lewellen said the university learned the employee tested positive on Monday and confirmed the person had contact with 12 people – no students – before that.
State guidelines recommend testing anyone who has come in close contact with a confirmed or suspected infection. But that focus is partly undermined because county public health officials are overwhelmed with the volume of cases, ending their practice of trying to interview everyone with an infection so they can identify and advise close contacts to stay home and get tested.
Lewellen said the university had conducted its own case investigation and contact tracing, notifying everyone of the exposure from “midweek” and urging them to get tested and self-quarantine. .
Three then reported negative test results. The other nine have not been tested, but Lewellen said the university would help them get screenings for them, if needed.
The University of Portland is moving forward with plans for around 830 students to relocate to campus next week after required tests.
– Brad Schmidt; [email protected]; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
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