6 February 2021, 14:46 HST
A second case of COVID-19 with the B.1.1.7 variant has been confirmed in Hawai’i.
The Department of Health Institutions in the Hawaii Department of Laboratories reports that both cases involve individuals on O’ahu. No one has a history of travel.
It is not known that the individuals had contact with each other.
The DOH Disease Outbreak Control Division continues to investigate both cases and ensures that both individuals are isolated and that contacts are in quarantine.
The two recent confirmations were among four samples previously identified in Hawaii as a molecular clue corresponding to the B.1.1.7 variant. The other specimens are still being analyzed.
The B.1.1.7 variant, originally detected in the United Kingdom, is highly transmissible and results in a faster spread than other common COVID-19 strains.
The Division of State Laboratories performs genome sequencing on 300 samples per month.