According to provincial officials, the first case of a COVID-19 variant that is reportedly more contagious has been identified in Dallas County.
Judge Clay Jenkins, county of Dallas, said Saturday that the variant was identified in a Dallas man in his twenties who had no recent history of traveling outside the U.S. The man is stable and is in isolation.
The health department is working to identify and notify anyone who has had close contact with the man.
Jenkins said genetic sequencing showed that the infection was caused by the variant. This is the third case in Texas caused by the variant and the first in North Texas.
The other two cases were reported in Harris County and Nueces County.
“The rise of tension B.1.1.7, although inevitable given the mobility of the modern world and the fact that we are an important transport hub, means that there is a tension that is 70% more contagious in our community and that it will grow rapidly, ”Jenkins said in a written statement.
Dr Steven Berk, a physician at Infectious Diseases, has joined the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center on NBC 5 to weigh in on the British coronavirus variant.
The variant was first identified in the UK in September, and healthcare officials said it appears to spread more easily and faster than other variants, but does not appear to cause more severe symptoms.
The approved vaccines are thought to be effective against the variant.
“This is now the third case identified in Texas and we can assume that there are more cases in our community due to the nature of this variant and how fast it is spreading,” said Dr. Philip Huang, director of health and human services in Dallas, said. “We must remain vigilant in our fight against this virus and continue with all preventative and protective measures such as wearing our mask, washing our hands and physically giving up.”