The two cases were discovered in adults in different regions of the state and do not appear to be related. None of the infected people have traveled recently, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said.
“This is frightening,” because it could mean there could be more unnoticed cases within the state, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, a physician for infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston, said. “It’s probably more widespread.”
The arrival of the variant shows that ‘the fight against this deadly virus is far from over’, said dr. Brannon Traxler, the interim director of public health, said in a statement. “While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, the supply is still limited. Each of us needs to commit to the fight again by acknowledging that we are all at the forefront now. We are all in this together.”
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Viruses are constantly mutating, and coronavirus variants are circulating around the world, but scientists are particularly concerned about the emergence of three. Other variants first reported in the UK and Brazil have previously been confirmed in the US. Researchers believe that these three variants can spread more easily.
As the variants could pose a greater risk of infection in the U.S., pandemic lawmakers in several states are pushing back against mask mandates, closure of cases and other protective restrictions imposed by governors.
States including Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, and Indiana are considering proposals to limit their governors’ ability to impose emergency restrictions. The Wisconsin legislature is expected to vote on revoking the governor’s mandate. Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment to strip the governor of many of his emergency services.
Governors argue that they need authority to act quickly in a crisis, and restrictions can delay critical emergency responses.
In South Carolina, the state health agency said the variant was found in one person from the state’s coastal region and another in the northeast corner. The state provided little other information, citing privacy issues, though Traxler said none of the people were contagious.
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“Both were tested very early in the month, and my understanding is that both are doing well,” Traxler said.
The South Carolina government, Henry McMaster, a Republican, unleashed most of the state’s remaining pandemic restrictions this fall. Spokesman Brian Symmes said McMaster does not intend to order new restrictions based on the discovery of the variant.
“This is important information for South Carolina people,” McMaster said in a tweet, “but it’s no cause for panic.”
Scientists last week reported preliminary signs that some of the recent mutations may modestly limit the effectiveness of two vaccines, although they stress that the shots are still protected against the disease. There are also signs that some of the new mutations could undermine the tests for the virus and reduce the effectiveness of certain treatments.
The coronavirus has already infected millions and killed approximately 430,000 people in the United States.
While the explosion of vaccines has been slow, President Joe Biden has vowed to deliver 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office – and has suggested that the US could reach 1.5 million shots a day.
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While some European countries are conducting extensive genetic testing to detect these variants, the US has done little of this detective work. But scientists quickly tried to do more, revealing the more contagious variants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported at least 315 cases of the UK-discovered variant in the United States. These reports come from at least 28 states, and health officials believe it could become the dominant tribe in the U.S. by March. This variant has been reported in at least 70 countries.
The first U.S. case of the variant found in Brazil was announced earlier this week by Minnesota health officials. It was a person who had recently traveled to that South American country. The version of the virus has appeared in more than half a dozen countries.
The variant that was first found in South Africa was found in October. Since then, it has been found in at least 30 other countries.
Some tests suggest that the South African and Brazilian variants are less susceptible to antibodies or antibody-rich blood of COVID-19 survivors, which both help people fight the virus.
Health officials are also concerned that people may get COVID-19 a second time if the virus changes enough.
On Monday, Biden reinstated the travel restrictions on COVID-19 for most non-US travelers from Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans avoid travel.
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Stobbe reports from New York.
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