A highly suspicious sample of COVID-19 found in Shelby County is the British variant B.1.1.7, according to Tennessee University officials.
The sample was followed up at the local biocontinence laboratory on campus and sent to Nashville for confirmation.
“The hamburger has already been made; they just put a little ketchup on it, “says Dr. Scott Strome, executive dean of the University of Tennessee Medical School.” We have a British variant. “
The sample contains the genetic markers that match the variant. It was found in one of the local laboratories.
Colleen Jonsson, head of the bio-content laboratory, has been searching for more than 100 samples of virus samples from test sites across the city for weeks in a row, especially the four most infectious strains, including the British strain.
By March, Dr Jon McCullers expects a significant level of the variant to be here.
“We see a lot of variations. “This is the first one that matches the British variant,” McCullers said.
‘What I do not know is whether it has additional variations. ‘It’s likely that all the British variants out there are also starting to change and change a bit,’ he said.
Confirmation from a public health lab in Nashville or from the Centers for Disease Control will take at least 24 hours.
The Shelby County Department of Health was notified late Monday night. The sample was sent to Nashville early Tuesday.
According to David Sweat, deputy director of the health department, the strain is about three times more contagious, but it has not been proven to be more deadly.
For weeks, laboratories using the Thermo Fisher processing equipment have been able to quickly identify samples that mimic the British tribe. They are sent to UTHCS along with the random samples from different test areas in the city.
They currently represent about 4% of the total testing, a small chunk, which means that variety strains around the world may already be in the region.
One of the clues is the delivery of the S protein, which has the British variant. Several of the major laboratories in the city, including AEL, Compass and Poplar Healthcare, prefer workflow so that Memphis samples are run on the Thermo Fisher.
However, there is no way to know if the laboratories are seeing the rise of the missing S protein because there is no basis to compare the numbers.
“Nobody’s done this before,” said Jim Sweeney, head of Poplar Healthcare. ‘We do not know how many S deliveries there were six months ago.
‘There may also be variants of the other proteins. One way to help them identify quickly is if you see an S-episode: ‘I might want to sequence it,’ ‘he said.
Poplar Healthcare is setting up equipment to track suspicious samples itself, preparing them for 150-180 per week.
All the labs in the city are aware of the importance of ordering as well, he said.
“UT has a very good lab,” he said. ‘Colleen Jonsson’s laboratory is doing an excellent job. They are a first class organization. ”
The United States lags behind other developed countries in the order of viruses. In early January, it was 43 on the world rankings.
By tracking samples for comparison, including sequences from early in the pandemic, it helps researchers know if and where the virus mutates.
“This is how we were able to determine internationally that reinfections appear to be taking place,” said Dr. Stephen Threlkeld said in an interview in January. “People had to follow the previous viruses, and three months later the virus could be compared to the new virus.”
The Department of Health and the COVID-19 Joint Task Force have developed plans to respond to possible cases, including how it will manage contact detection.
The most experienced investigators from the Department of Health will be assigned in these cases, if realized.
“This is something we should definitely send to a team for special handling,” Sweat said.
Other cases were suspicious here. When the DNA strands were sequenced, it appeared to be normal, he said.
The first line of defense against the virus and any varieties is the masking, distancing and hand washing that citizens have been doing here since March.
“If enough people are vaccinated, then it becomes a primary prevention,” Sweat said.
‘But we are now just a little over 7% of our goal. We need to vaccinate 656,600 people in Shelby County to reach the target of 70% of the population. ”
This means the primary protection is the protective measures, which include staying home when you are ill. People who are placed under isolation orders must abide by it.
“Stay home for the period you are contagious and avoid contact with other people, not even in your own home,” Sweat said. ‘If you have been identified as a contact of someone who is in quarantine, then continue in quarantine for the period you are ordered. All these things together can help us whether the virus we are dealing with is the tribe we have been fighting since last time, or is a new emerging tribe. ”