Florida confirms first case of Brazil’s COVID-19 variant

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Florida has reported its first case of the P.1 COVID-19 variant, which was first detected from Brazil, says the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The latest data from the CDC show only five verified cases of the variant in the United States. Two cases are in Minnesota; Maryland and Oklahoma also have a case.

The CDC does not specify where the variants are located. Local 10 News asked state health officials where the case was found in Brazil, Florida, but it was not provided.

The Brazilian variant was first identified in four travelers tested at an airport outside Tokyo, Japan. According to the CDC, it contains a set of mutations that can affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies.

Florida still has the most confirmed case of the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom.

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The state has confirmed 433 cases out of 1,533 nationwide by the CDC.

The Florida Department of Health said one of the reasons the state has identified the most cases in the UK is because doctors are doing more sequencing here to look for it. These efforts include samples reviewed by researchers at the University of Miami.

FDOH did release updated numbers for the counties where cases B.1.1.7 were found in the state, and the highest concentration in South Florida is:

Broward: 115

Miami-Dade: 68

Palm Beach: 49

Hillsborough: 38

Pins: 32

Pasco: 19

Orange: 14

Seminole: 11

Marion: 9

Osceola: 9

Brevard: 9

Saint Lucia: 6

Hernando: 6

More: 5

Necklace: 5

Alachua: 5

Lee: 4

Polk: 4

Volusia: 4

Subject: 3

Leon: 3

Martin: 2

Charlotte: 2

Flags: 2

Hendry: 2

Okaloosa: 1

Citrus: 1

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Charge: 1

Summer: 1

Escambia: 1

Duval: 1

Indian River: 1