Washington state health officials have confirmed the state’s first case of a worrying coronavirus variant that was first identified in Brazil late last year.
The variant, scientifically known as P.1., Was confirmed by the UW Medicine Virology Lab, which identified the mutation in a COVID-19 sample from King County, according to a Public Health – Seattle & King County news release.
The P.1 variant is of concern as it contains a number of mutations, “including those that appear to be less vulnerable to the immune response of our bodies,” officials said. COVID-19 vaccines are also thought to be less effective against some variants, including Brazilian.
“If we make uncertainties, this variety will make us pay,” said Jeff Duchin, public health officer – Seattle and King County, in a statement. “The advantage is that we can take steps to limit the damage. The same precautions that have helped us reduce the number of cases in the past can also protect us from the variants, as long as we are meticulous.”
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The Brazilian variant was first identified in the US at the end of January. It is thought to have originated in Manaus, a northwestern city in the Amazon, where researchers believe it may have spread in December. The strain contains three mutations, E484K, K417T and N501Y, similar to a separate variant initially detected in South Africa.
Three COVID-19 variants, including the variant first identified in the United Kingdom and the variant first identified in South Africa, have now been spotted in Washington state.
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‘The appearance of these variants should not discourage us; it should strengthen and motivate us to turn the tide on the pandemic. The next month or two will be particularly important in determining the course of our outbreak, with the threat of new VOCs increasing as we work to get more people protected by vaccination, ”Washington State health officials said in the news release. . “If we continue for a few more months with the strong efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, we will reduce the risk of another serious wave of infection and speed up our return to a more normal life.”
Fox News’ Kayla Rivas and Associated Press contributed to this report.