The first U.S. case of the more contagious coronavirus variant initially discovered in Britain was found in Colorado on Tuesday, government Jared Polis said, raising the worrying possibility that the variant is already well established in the patient’s community. – and perhaps elsewhere.
“It did not teleport across the Atlantic,” said William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
The variant was found in a man in his twenties without a travel history, said Mr. Polis said. The man was in isolation in Elbert County, southeast of Denver, he said.
Dr. Hanage said the newly reported case “should not be a cause for panic.” But, he added, “it could double our efforts to prevent the virus from getting the opportunity to spread,” he said.
Scientists are concerned about variants, but are not surprised by it. It is normal for viruses to mutate, and most coronavirus mutations are minor. There is no evidence that an infection with the variant – known as B.1.1.7 – is more likely to cause a serious case of Covid-19, increase the risk of death or evade the new vaccines.
But the rate at which the variant appears to be spreading could lead to more infections – and therefore more hospitalizations.
The case identified Tuesday comes from Elbert County, Colo., With a population of about 27,000 residents. The cases, deaths, and hospitalizations in Colorado have been steadily declining over the past few weeks.
“There’s a lot we do not know about this new Covid-19 variant, but scientists in the UK are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious,” he said. Polis said. “The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority, and we will be closely monitoring this matter, as well as all Covid-19 indicators.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Tuesday that it expects there will be an additional case that is likely to be detected in the coming days. ‘
It is not clear where B.1.1.7 originated. Britain has the largest system for sequencing the genomes of coronaviruses, and this is perhaps why the variant was first found there.
Earlier this month, British researchers noted that the variant is becoming more prevalent in parts of Britain. Their subsequent investigations indicate that the variant spreads more easily than others in circulation.
It is also not yet clear why B.1.1.7 transfers more easily. The genus has built up 23 mutations since it tore off from other coronaviruses. Researchers are investigating some of the mutations to see if they can penetrate the viruses more easily into cells or make more copies.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson first sounded the alarm over the variant that circulated in England on 19 December. He responded to the rise of B.1.1.7 by enforcing stronger restrictions on people’s movements and the size of gatherings.
Most of southern and eastern England, including London, are under the highest restrictions. The rules require people to stay at home, except for urgent travel, medical appointments and outdoor exercise. And the British Army has been mobilized to help the National Health Service, the country’s healthcare system, set up premises to administer rapid coronavirus tests to drivers, and go truck after truck to perform tests.
“When the virus changes its method of attack, we have to change our method of defense,” Johnson said at the time. “We have to respond to our information because it is spreading very fast now.”
Fears of the variant spreading from Britain last week have led to a large part of Europe isolating the UK. As part of the effort, France imposed a 48-hour blockade of the British border that wreaked havoc on both sides of the English Channel and warned Britain that some fresh goods might be lacking for a short time.
At the end of last week, more than 50 governments imposed restrictions.
A new rule in the United States requiring travelers arriving from Britain – including U.S. citizens – to have proof of a negative coronavirus test upon their entry was announced late Thursday and went into effect Monday.
But experts noted that the earliest British samples of B.1.1.7 date from September. It was likely that the variant had already spread between countries.
It turns out they were right. Cases of the variant have been identified in more than a dozen countries around the world. Health officials in Ontario, Canada, said Saturday that they have identified two cases of the variant in a couple with no travel history or exposure.
The United States follows much less genome than Britain does, leading American scientists to suspect that the variant may have been unnoticed in the country. On Tuesday, the United States joined the ranks of the countries with B.1.1.7.
Dr. Hanage said the United States would need to improve how it monitors the genetic sequences of circulating viruses to track their spread. It is conceivable that the new variant could have triggered recent outbreaks in the Middle East and Rhode Island, but scientists do not know because public health officials have not closely monitored the viruses across the country.
“The United States is hampered by the contradiction of its approach,” he said. “Unless we turn on the lights, we will not know it is there.”
Because B.1.1.7 seems so much more contagious than other strains, British researchers have warned that the current restrictions in the UK may not be sufficient. In a feasibility study, they found that schools may need to close and aggressively accelerate vaccination programs to prevent an increase in cases.
If B.1.1.7 rises in the United States, it is possible that vaccination will have to accelerate there as well. But in the first two weeks, the U.S. vaccination program is moving slower than expected.
“You need to be able to get over the barriers out there as soon as possible,” said Dr. Hanage said.
Nicholas Davies, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said in an interview last week that it was clear ‘that faster vaccination is going to be a very important thing for any country dealing with this or similar variants has. . ”