More contagious variant of COVID-19 first detected in Alaska

A more contagious strain of coronavirus was first detected in Alaska, health officials said on Tuesday.

In December, a resident of Anchorage was infected with a strain of the virus that was originally detected in the UK and can spread more easily between people, the state’s health department said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.

The Anchorage resident was recently in a state where the variant of the virus had previously been detected, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services. The individual started showing symptoms of the virus on December 17, was tested on December 20 and tested positive on December 22.

After learning of the positive result, the person isolated himself, although a person they lived with also fell ill. The two men have both recovered and have had no contact with other people, health officials said in the statement.

Public health officials said it was not unexpected to find the virus in Alaska. The new strain spreads faster and more easily between people, state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin said in the department’s announcement.

“We hope that transmission of this particular variant has stopped with these two individuals, but we will most likely detect the variant strain again soon,” said Chief State Physician Dr Anne Zink in a prepared press release.

So far, 293 cases of the virus variant have been detected nationwide in 24 different states, including Washington state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, only a small fraction of cases across the country are sequenced in order to find the strain.

Earlier this month, federal officials at the CDC said the variant of the virus could become the dominant strain of coronavirus circulating in the United States by March.

The strain isn’t thought to make people any sicker, but increased transmission of the virus could mean more people infected at once. This can strain health care systems and lead to more deaths, according to the CDC.

The state of Alaska has been sequencing COVID-19 cases since March, which is one way to find new variants. The state virology lab in Fairbanks found the British variant strain, which was later confirmed by the lab at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, before the state’s health department informed finally the CDC of its discovery Monday.

Health officials continued to stress that, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including new strains, practices such as staying 6 feet or more from others, covering your face, washing your hands, avoiding gatherings, keeping social bubbles small, and isolating when feeling symptoms are critical.