Highly contagious virus variant identified in Michigan 3rd County

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus has been reported for the first time in a third county in Michigan.

Health officials have said that a confirmed case of a highly contagious variant of COVID-19, known as B117, was reported in Kent County on Sunday, February 7.

As of February 5, a total of 28 known cases of the variant have been identified in Michigan over the past month, but cases have only been reported in Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

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Lily: 28 COVID-19 B117 variant cases confirmed in Washtenaw, Wayne Counties, officials say

The new case reported on Sunday from across the state appears to confirm the belief of health officials that there are likely more cases of the variant of the virus in Michigan, they simply have not been identified yet. .

“Fundamentally, it’s a race to cover our population; a race that pits vaccination efforts against the transmission of infection, ”said Dr Adam London, director of the Kent County Department of Health. “As we work to minimize the impact of COVID-19 infections, variant B.1.1.7 gives the virus increased speed.”

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By nature, a virus – especially an RNA virus like the coronavirus – constantly mutates when it infects people, as it copies itself in the process. Sometimes several individual mutations of the virus can build up or occur at once – giving rise to a new version of the virus with new characteristics, called a variant.

The B117 variant, which was first discovered in the UK at the end of 2020, is of particular concern because of its increased transmissibility: health experts say the B117 variant is 50% more contagious than the dominant strain virus in the United States today.

Experts warn that the B117 variant will likely become the main source of COVID infection in the United States by the end of March this year.

The first known case of the variant of the virus in Michigan was identified on January 16 in a woman from Washtenaw County who had just traveled to the United Kingdom.

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Since then, all variant cases in the state have only been found in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Washtenaw County officials say all known cases of B117 variants in that county are linked to the University of Michigan community.

After the start of the variant epidemic in the UM community, all varsity sports were on hiatus until February 6 and all college students living on or near the Ann Arbor campus were urged to stay at home until Feb. 7 to help curb the spread of the virus.

Related: University of Michigan identifies virus outbreaks in off-campus homes

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Three variants of COVID-19, including the B117 variant, have been identified in the United States so far. Only the B117 variant was discovered in Michigan on February 7.

Health experts have previously said that existing therapies and vaccines are still effective against the B117 variant, but that remains to be determined. Some preliminary research shows that existing vaccines are effective against the B117 variant – although to a lesser degree – but are less effective against other variants like the B1351 variant, which has been found in South Africa.

More: Everything we know about virus variants in Michigan, United States

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and more contagious variants, people are encouraged to continue taking precautions, including social distancing, wearing masks, good hygiene, and avoiding crowds and gatherings.

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