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A ‘super-spreader’ strain of COVID-19 that has ravaged the UK is now in Michigan.
So far, three cases of the variant known as B.1.1.7 have been confirmed in people associated with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
7 COVID-19 cases linked to Washtenaw County woman who has UK variant
The variant doesn’t make people any sicker, but it appears to be around 50% more transmissible than the other variants.
Here’s what the Michiganders need to know.
This is not a cause for panic.
“People shouldn’t panic,” Dr. Liam Sullivan, infectious disease specialist at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. “We do not expect changes. They are very normal ”with viruses.
Dr Anthony Ognjan, an infectious disease specialist at McLaren Health in Macomb County, agreed, adding that COVID-19 has already reached the ‘maximum evolution’ stage.
“If you look at a species, they want to replicate and pass on their genes.” Said Ognajan. “This virus is already perfect. It didn’t need to be tweaked as he was very contagious at the start. So this variant is not going to change its ability to spread this drastically.
“Now we are putting natural selection pressure on this virus. We have many more people infected with the virus who are becoming immune and we have started the vaccinations. The natural stage of the virus is to become more contagious or it will be wiped off the face of the earth.
That said, experts believe that B.1.1.7 and other variations could prove problematic in several ways.
This could dramatically increase coronavirus cases, leading to more hospitalizations and deaths.
A more transmissible variant can infect more people faster, resulting in more cases overall without mitigation efforts.
Depending on the strain’s impact on the UK, if it were to become the dominant strain in Michigan, it could roughly double the number of coronavirus cases in Michigan in a matter of weeks, according to projections from the University of Michigan School. of Public School.
Even though people individually are not likely to get sicker, it would likely lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
“I think people hear it’s not deadlier, which is true. But because it is more contagious, it will naturally create a higher death rate as more people will be infected, ”said Kerry Ott, public health manager for the LMAS district health department in the Upper Peninsula. The department serves the counties of Luce, Mackinac, Algiers and Schoolcraft.
It also has the potential to put more strain on health care systems, said Dr Christine Nefcy, chief medical officer of Munson Healthcare in Traverse City.
“We’re kind of expecting that, or at least preparing for it,” just based on experience with the UK variant, she said.
Protecting healthcare systems from overshooting is important as they try to balance resident care with the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, Ott said.
This could make collective immunity more difficult to obtain.
“This has implications for herd immunity,” said Dr Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of the Office of Epidemiology and Population Health for the MDHHS, during a press briefing on Wednesday.
“If a virus spreads more easily between humans, we need to have a higher percentage of vaccinated humans in the population to stop transmission,” she said.
Herd immunity is the point at which enough people are vaccinated and / or have natural immunity for the virus to die off.
Current vaccines appear to work against B.1.1.7
“The good news is that the testing capability that we tested for this variant and the vaccine seems to work for this variant,” Nefcy said.
Sullivan said one of the biggest worries about viral mutations is “vaccine leakage,” which happens when a vaccine stops working.
“Just for the frame of reference, it takes a lot of mutations for that to happen,” he said. “A mutation will not lead to a vaccine leak. But mutations can potentially reduce (the effectiveness of the vaccine) over time.
“So we have to be on the lookout for these variations and test them as they emerge,” he said. “Because if we need to adjust the vaccines, it’s better to be ahead of the game than to be caught completely off guard.
Double mitigation strategies.
Another good news is that the same strategies that can prevent transmission of other strains of COVID-19 also work with strain B.1.1.7.
“We need people to keep doing the little things that we’ve been telling them to do for a year now,” Ott said. “Wear a mask, don’t get together with people outside your home, and stay home if you’re not feeling well. We are far from having enough people vaccinated. “
The new strain B.1.1.7 is not transmitted in a different way; it is always transmitted by droplets and aerosols, ”Sullivan said. “It’s just when people are exposed to it, it seems to take up more space and make the infection a bit easier. I think it reinforces the need to continue to wear your mask, to avoid crowds, to keep social distance. It’s actually more important now.
In particular, be sure to mask yourself well.
The mask is a critical measure in preventing coronaviruses, but it means wearing a mask correctly with your nose and mouth covered.
It is also using effective masks. Single-ply sheet masks are better than nothing, but individuals can get better protection by wearing disposable medical masks or double- or triple-ply sheet masks, Sullivan said.
He recommends the KN95 medical masks, which are more comfortable and more readily available than the N95 masks but almost as effective.
“I would definitely encourage people to try to get the highest quality mask possible,” Sullivan said.
All the more reason to get vaccinated.
Vaccination is the best prevention against the new strain.
“We are in a race to get people vaccinated” as quickly as possible, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said at a press briefing Wednesday. “It’s a race against this variant.”
A glimmer of hope from the variant: It might encourage people who are hesitant to get the vaccine to change their mind.
“I think it could happen. Absolutely, ”Sullivan said. “If that motivates someone to get vaccinated, that would be a great gift.”
Learn more about MLive:
Michigan school districts ranked by median family income: see richest and poorest districts in the state
Michigan is short of hundreds of school bus drivers. The pandemic has only made matters worse
The government is trying to give you financial aid in the event of a pandemic – here’s what’s out there
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