Credit: Maryland National Guard via Flickr
A more contagious variant of the coronavirus, according to members of the Minnesota Department of Health, is likely to be widespread in Minnesota.
The B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the UK, has now been confirmed by genome sequencing in nearly 500 Minnesotans that tested positive for COVID-19, and it’s probably just a small piece of the puzzle .
“We have now identified 479 cases of this variant. We have estimated that 50-65% of the Covid-positive samples tested on 16 March 20-20 were B.1.1.7. This is an increase compared to samples that are in March 38-44% of the samples are estimated at B.1.1.7, ‘said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, state epidemiologist, during a press conference on Tuesday.
Lynfield said there is likely to be a widespread transmission of the B.1.1.7 variant in Minnesota, adding that B.1.1.7 ‘already dominates’.
“We do not identify all cases of B117, but among the cases we have identified, approximately 5% have been admitted to hospital. We will closely monitor this as we try to expand our succession and identify more cases,” Lynfield said.
News of the variant getting a fortress on the state is getting underway in Minnesota at the vaccine front at the same time. About 25% of Minnesotans received at least one dose of vaccine, while about 15% of the state’s 5.6 million residents completed the vaccine range.
Lynfield described the current situation as a ‘race’ between vaccination and the spread of B.1.1.7, which she said has a ‘higher attack rate’, meaning it could infect more people than SARS-CoV-2 ( the coronavirus that started) the pandemic).
“Most Minnesotans are not yet fully vaccinated. That means we have millions of Minnesotans who are susceptible to COVID-19 infection, and the health effects that come with it,” Lynfield said.
“A contagious virus that is spreading widely among millions of susceptible Minnesotans – some who may be tempted to distance themselves from socializing, mask and other precautions – could help fuel a third rise in Covid cases and a corresponding increase in hospitalizations and deaths. “
The good news is that the vaccine has proven to be very effective so far. Of the nearly 850,000 Minnesotans who completed the vaccine series, only 89 tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after receiving their second shot.
None of the 89 patients who tested positive after completing the vaccination series died. The vaccines are about 95% effective, so it is quite possible that about five out of 100 people who have been fully vaccinated may still be susceptible.