KENT COUNTY, MI – A coronavirus case with variant B.1.1.7, which is believed to be more contagious than the primary strain, was found in a Kent County resident.
The variant is about 50% more transmissible, leading to a faster spread of the virus and an increasing number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the Kent County Department of Health said in a news release on Sunday, February 7th.
‘Fundamentally, it’s a race to cover our population; a race that transmits vaccination against infections, ‘said dr. Adam London, director of health in the province, said. “While we work to reduce the impact of COVID-19 infections, the B.1.1.7 variant gives the virus an increased rate.”
The Department of Health encourages testing of individuals who have traveled out of Michigan over the past 14 days, especially to areas where the new variants are widely distributed.
The first confirmed cases of the variant were confirmed Thursday in Western Michigan in Kalamazoo County.
Data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention show that the variant is in 33 states. According to the CDC, Florida recorded 187 infections involving B.1.1.7, followed by a highly populated California with 145 infections.
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