A new and very contagious coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa was found for the first time in the United States, with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina, state health officials said Thursday. The two cases do not appear to be related, nor do the people have a history of recent trips, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said.
“This is frightening,” because it means there are likely to be more unnoticed cases within the state, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, a physician for infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston, said. “It’s probably more widespread.”
The advent of this variant an increase in other countries shows that ‘the fight against this deadly virus is far from over’, said dr. Brannon Traxler, an interim director of public health for the South Carolina agency, said in a statement. “While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, the supply is still limited. Each of us needs to commit to the fight again by acknowledging that we are all at the forefront now. We are all in this together.”
The two people infected with this variant are both adults; one is from South Carolina’s Lowcountry and the other from the Pee Dee region, the state said while withholding other information to protect their privacy.
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Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the world, but scientists are particularly concerned about the recent emergence of three of them. Other variants that first appeared in the United Kingdom and Brazil has also been confirmed in the U.S. researchers believe these three variants can spread more easily, predicting that it will only be a matter of time before they appear here.
“At present, we have no evidence that infections by this variant can cause more serious diseases,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. “Like the British and Brazilian variants, preliminary data suggest that this variant may be possible. spread easier and faster as other variants. “
Also, scientists last week reported preliminary but worrying signs that some of the recent mutations may moderately reduce the potency of two current vaccines, although they stress that the shots are still protected against the disease. And there are signs that some of the new mutations could undermine the tests for the virus and reduce the effectiveness of certain treatments.
The coronavirus already has millions and more than 400,000 people killed in the United States.
While some European countries are conducting extensive genetic testing to detect these variants, the US has done very little of this detective work. But scientists have quickly tried to do more, and they see these seemingly more contagious variants as they do.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported at least 315 cases of the UK-discovered variant in the United States. These reports come from at least 28 states, and health officials believe it could become the dominant tribe in the U.S. by March. This variant has been reported in at least 70 countries.
The first US case of the variant originally found in Brazil was announced by health officials earlier this week Minnesota. It was a person who had recently traveled to that South American country. The version of the virus has appeared in more than half a dozen countries.
The variant that was first found in South Africa was found there in October. It has since been found in at least 30 other countries.
Some tests suggest that the South African and Brazilian variants are less susceptible to antibody drugs or to treatment with antibody-rich blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors, both of which help people fight the virus.
Health officials are also concerned that if the virus changes enough, more people could get COVID-19 a second time.
President Biden was reinstated on Monday Covid-19 Travel Restrictions on most non-US citizens traveling from Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa. And the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommends that Americans not travel at the moment.