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The much-vaunted “South African” variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Hawaii.
The State Department of Health’s Division of State Laboratories (SLD) identified the technically named B.1.351 variant in a resident of O’ahu with no travel history.
To date, this is the first and only confirmed variant incident in Hawaii. However, acting state epidemiologist Dr Sarah Kemble said contact tracing has found positive tests in people associated with the case, meaning further spread from the community is highly possible.
“This is concerning because B.1.351 has a mutation that makes it more transmissible from person to person, and a separate mutation that could make it less responsive to the antibodies we form when we have COVID or when we do. vaccinate, ”said SLD director Dr Edward Desmond.
The mutation that increases transmissibility is called N501Y. The mutation that can reduce the effectiveness of antibodies is called E484K.
The N501Y and E484K mutations had previously been observed in Hawaii, but this is the first time that the two mutations have been found together in a virus.
“While theoretical concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of vaccination against new variant strains, the real world data to date is reassuring,” Kemble said. “A study in South Africa showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was effective in preventing serious illnesses requiring hospitalization and in preventing death, even where B.1.351 was the predominant strain.”
She added that Moderna and Pfizer vaccines would also be logically effective against the South African variant from a standard scientific point of view. However, these two companies do not yet have the data provided by Johnson & Johnson as they did not test their products specifically in South Africa during the testing phases.
“There are theoretical concerns,” Kemble said, “(but) at the moment the data is promising. The more people vaccinated, the more you don’t even get a foothold for these viruses. They don’t even have the chance to pose a threat. “
Kemble went on to note that the South African variant ⚊ as well as other potentially antibody and vaccine resistant variants now identified in Hawaii, including one originating in Brazil ⚊ have not been shown to cause more serious illness in people who contract them. .
Beyond the South African strain, two new cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, also known as the UK variant, have been identified in the islands since the state’s last report. This means that a total of eight cases of B.1.1.7 variants have been detected in Hawaii to date.
The British variant, first detected in Hawai’i in early February, carries the N501Y transmissibility mutation, but not the E484K mutation. The most recent cases of B.1.1.7 involve two residents of O’ahu, one who traveled to the continental United States (Las Vegas) and a family contact of that person.
The investigation of cases of recently detected variants is ongoing. Close contacts have been quarantined.
“Research shows that community-based mitigation measures are effective in reducing the risk of transmitting even the most aggressive variants,” said Dr Elizabeth Char, state health director. “This means that wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and washing your hands is more important than ever. The effectiveness of vaccines in preventing serious illness or death means that we need to get vaccinated as soon as it is our turn. ”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Monday, saying fully vaccinated people can congregate in small, private settings without a mask. Dr Kemble elaborated on this as part of the DOH press conference.
“We always have to be very aware of people at risk,” she said. “If everyone is fully immunized, you can organize a rally without a mask.”
Kemble added, however, that if a person at risk of serious consequences is present, social distancing and the wearing of a mask should be observed. Regardless of immunization status, everyone should continue to follow DOH safety protocols whenever interacting in public spaces.
The SLD continues to perform genomic sequencing on a weekly basis on COVID samples from across the state to detect variant strains, including strains of concern. This systemic search for variant strains is carried out with the collaboration of laboratories in the private sector.
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