More contagious strain of COVID-19 now detected in King County

The new COVID-19 variant strain that has been reported in many states, and Washington, has now been detected in King County.

UW Medicine notified Public Health – Seattle & King County on Friday that the B.1.1.7 strain of COVID-19 had been identified in a test sample originating in King County. The B.1.1.7 strain was found in neighboring Snohomish and Pierce counties last week.

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This strain is known to spread more easily than others and quickly became the dominant strain in the UK where it was first detected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now predicts it will be the dominant strain in the United States by March.

Although this strain is more contagious, it spreads in the same way as other strains of COVID-19. As health officials have said, that means we just need to improve on the countermeasures we know how to work to limit the spread of the virus, including wearing masks, physical distancing, ensuring good ventilation and staying at home whenever possible.

“This virus worked. He got faster and fitter. And we have to fight smarter and harder to beat it, ”said Dr Jeff Duchin, public health officer – Seattle and King County.

“We should expect the variant strains to become more widespread here, which will make the outbreak more difficult for us to control,” Duchin added. “But we have the advantage of early warning to help us prepare.”

Faster spread means more people are infected, resulting in more COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in a shorter period. There are also fears that a rapid increase in cases could overwhelm the health system. There is not yet conclusive evidence, however, that this variant causes more severe disease.

The vaccines developed are still expected to be very effective against this new strain, but it is still closely watched by the scientific community.

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“The appearance of the B117 variant in Washington is a wake-up call,” the Public Health Insider post warns of the variant’s arrival in King County. “It is more important than ever to do all we can to stop the spread of COVID-19 – in our homes, workplaces, social lives and wherever we meet – and reduce the lowest cases possible BEFORE strain B117 can spread widely and gain an advantage. This means that we must meet this new challenge by going all the way through the steps that we know are working, from here on out. “