MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) State health officials say a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 has come to Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Health on Thursday confirmed that the COVID variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, has been identified in five people in the Twin Cities. The cases range between the ages of 15 and the age of 37. They affected between December 16 and December 31.
Dr George Morris and other health experts believe the new variant is more contagious.
“We have identified more than 90 million cases around the world, and to have so many cases without expecting viral shift or change is not realistic,” Morris said.
He says the more well-known COVID strain has a 10% chance that an infected person will spread it to at least one other person.
(Credit: CDC / NIAID)
“With this new variant, the B-117, it looks like it’s more than 15%, maybe 20%, so it’s increasing,” Morris said.
Yet it is not believed that the variant is more deadly. However, Dr Morris says it could cause more deaths by spreading more quickly to vulnerable populations.
“If the common coronavirus spread to 10,000 people, we would have a certain percentage of deaths,” he said. “But if this new variant spreads to 20,000 people, we’ll have more deaths.”
Therefore, experts continue to apply measures such as social distance and mask wear.
The good news is that preliminary studies show that the COVID vaccines provide protection against the new strain.
“We need to continue to focus on the things we’ve identified that are useful,” Morris said. “Trust our scientists, use our trusted source of information and continue these conversations.”
Of the five new cases identified in Minnesota, only two have reported recent international trips. None of the five people were admitted to the hospital.