New York discovers variant case first seen in South Africa

A person from an eastern suburb of New York has been confirmed as the first New York resident to be infected with a more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said on Sunday.

Few other details were provided on the case, including when it was confirmed or whether the infected individual, a resident of Nassau County on Long Island, had recently traveled. This was not the first case of the South African variant to be found in New York; Mr. Cuomo announced last Monday that the variant was detected in a Connecticut man hospitalized in New York.

The variant, known as B.1.351, was originally identified in South Africa in December and has since been found in dozens of other countries and at least nine states, including California, Texas and Virginia. The variant carries mutations that help it attach more tightly to human cells and can help the virus escape certain antibodies.

Its emergence in New York City, which officials had warned was inevitable, underscored the dangers posed by new variants that could be more infectious or vaccine resistant, especially as the state’s vaccination effort continues to be hampered by a limited supply of doses.

“We’re in a race right now – between our ability to vaccinate and those variants that are actively trying to proliferate – and we will only win this race if we stay smart and disciplined,” Cuomo said in a statement on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, South Africa halted use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine after evidence emerged that it did not protect participants in a clinical trial against mild or moderate disease caused by the variant.

Scientists in South Africa have also said that the immunity acquired by people infected with previous versions of the coronavirus did not appear to protect them from mild or moderate cases when re-infected with the South African variant.

The Food and Drug Administration is working on a plan to update the vaccines if the variant increases in the United States.

But Cuomo also gave reasons for optimism on Sunday, noting that the statewide rate of positive test results was below 3% for the first time since November. He said hospitalizations have also continued to decline statewide.