South African variant of COVID-19 found in Santa Clara County

The disturbing South African strain of the COVID-19 virus, which appears to be more contagious and more resistant to certain vaccines, has once again surfaced in Santa Clara County.

Unlike the first case, detected in February, this new case is not linked to the trip and is believed to be due to community transmission. Health officials did not provide further details.

“This latest case confirms that we have community transmission and reminds us not to let our guard down in the midst of this pandemic,” said Dr. Sara Cody, health official and director of public health for Santa Clara County, in a statement.

“Considering national trends, we operated under the assumption that these variants were circulating at some level in our communities,” she said.

This is the fourth case reported in California. In February, officials announced the detection of a case in Santa Clara County in an adult who had traveled overseas but quarantined after showing symptoms. Another February case was reported in Alameda County. Authorities have not reported the source of the fourth case.

The South African variant is able to escape the AstraZenca vaccine, although two other vaccines – manufactured by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – offer some protection.

But despite its danger, this South African variant has not really gained a foothold in the United States. First detected in the United States in January in South Carolina, only 142 cases in 25 states have been found.

In contrast, two other strains – one that emerged in California, the other imported from the UK – are of great concern.

One, now called the West Coast strain, is estimated to be 20% more transmissible than the original variant in circulation. Another, imported from the United Kingdom, is said to be up to 50% more transmissible. The South African variant is also said to be around 50% more contagious.

There have been 6,628 cases in California of the West Coast strain. As of mid-February, it made up over half of all samples sequenced in California, over a third of samples from Nevada, and a quarter of samples from Arizona.

This week, the CDC said the local strain was a “variant of concern,” citing its ease of contagion and its ability to blunt the body’s immune response.

There have been 375 Californian cases of the variant in the UK. But it is increasing elsewhere. It has been found in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and is fast becoming the dominant variant in the country.

In Santa Clara County, 15 cases have been linked to this British variant.

Last Saturday, California reported its first case of a dangerous variant from Brazil. It is not known how the patient, a man from San Bernardino County, acquired his infection. This strain is unique from another Brazilian variant, which has been found in the Bay Area but is considered less dangerous.