A new COVID variant believed to have originated in Brazil has been confirmed in Hawaii.
The state Department of Health said its state laboratory division confirmed the presence of the P.2 variant, which they say contains the E484K mutation, through surveillance tests.
According to the acting state epidemiologist dr. Sarah Kemble confirmed the strain in an Oahu resident who recently traveled to the mainland and was asymptomatic. The resident is now out of isolation, she said, and so far no further transmission has been detected.
Government officials said the variant was being closely monitored after two people in Brazil who had previously been infected with COVID were infected again with the P.2 variant. However, it is unclear whether this variant is more resistant to vaccines and antibodies obtained by previous COVID infection.
The P.2 variant has also been found in several mainland states and Europe.
People who have been previously vaccinated or previously infected are not expected to become seriously ill if they are infected with the P.2 variant, the department said.
‘At the moment with the investigation, it does not appear that further transfer has taken place with this P.2. tension, ”said dr. Kemble said. “This variant was introduced because of travel and there is constant travel, so there will always be the possibility.”
Also, surveillance tests confirmed three additional cases of the B.1.1.7 variant on Oahu, bringing the total nationwide to six. All six are on Oahu and are household contacts.
On Maui, however, there is growing concern about the B.1.429 variant, which is accompanied by an increase in COVID cases on Valley Island.
This variant, formerly called L452R, was first detected in Hawaii about a month ago and gradually became the predominant tribe in California, about the same time as an increase in the state, according to the director of the State Laboratories, Edward Desmond.
“It can therefore become predominant and it can be accompanied by an increase in cases,” he said.
A total of 28 cases of the B.1.429 variant have been detected on Maui, which accounts for nearly half of the cases of the variant in the state so far this year.
So far this year, 17 cases have been detected on Oahu, four on Hawaii Island and one on Kauai.
On Maui, a mixture of these cases was associated with a group in the correctional environment as well as in the community, Kemble said. So it looks like the variant in Maui is circulating in the community.
It was first detected in California in December and has been found in more than 40 other states.
The strain may be more transmissible than other COVID strains, but is still being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It remains unclear how effective current vaccines are against B.1.429.
While Kemble believes that detecting these new variants should be a reason for caution, just as Oahu eases restrictions and moves to level 3, she believes the reopening framework will work as needed.
The daily numbers across Oahu are declining while the vaccination effort is well underway, she said.
“I think the levels are designed so that when we see with the reopening of Tier 3 that we are returning in the wrong direction, there is a control and balance,” she said. “So if we see the trend in the wrong direction, we can adjust to it.”
The mitigating response to the new variant should be the same as for non-variant strains, she said, which include wearing your mask, keeping an eye on your distance, staying home when you are sick and washing your hands. You can also get your vaccine if it’s your turn.
The State Health Department will continue to oversee variants in collaboration with private hospitals and independent clinical laboratories.
Currently, about 75 state samples per week undergo genomic sequencing.