New York discovers its first case of the coronavirus variant initially found in Brazil, known as P.1, and joins the ranks of at least 18 states reporting cases of the new variant.
The case, a Brooklyn resident in their 90s with no travel history, has been identified by scientists at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.
“The detection of the Brazilian variant here in New York further emphasizes the importance of taking all necessary steps to continue to protect your health,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“While it’s normal for a virus to mutate, the best way to protect yourself is to wear a well-fitting mask, avoid large crowds, social distance, wash your hands and be vaccinated when it’s your turn. he said.
The P.1 variant is considered a ‘variant of concern’ because evidence suggests that it is highly transmissible and has the potential to re-infect people who have already been ill. The P.1 variant was first identified in January during an airport investigation in Japan into travelers from Brazil, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
MORE: COVID longsweights talk about life with brain fog, rancid odors and crushing fatigue
After a serious outbreak last year, antibody tests from blood banks in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon, suggested that three-quarters of the city’s population was infected. Scientists thought that Manaus might have reached herd immunity, but then infections rose again at the end of 2020, leading scientists to believe that the P.1 variant could cure people recovering from infections caused by other variants. is.
“It’s not so unexpected to find it in New York,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said about the P.1 variant.
Since the first case in New York was in an older resident with no travel history, there is “clearly a distribution chain in New York City,” he added.
The United States does very little sequence of virus variants, so it is difficult to know how common P.1 is in the country. It appears that another variant, B.1.1.7, first identified in the UK, is displacing the other, Adalja said.
“In countries where B.1.1.7 becomes dominant, it seems difficult to replace,” he said.
MORE: Map shows in which states COVID-19 vaccines are offered to everyone
While research is still being done on whether COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the P.1 variant, it appears that vaccines are effective in preventing serious diseases, hospitalization and death, Adalja explained.
“Although there is concern and concern about variants, the answer is always the same,” he said. “Ent faster.”
According to the CDC, the state of New York has vaccinated 38,671 residents per 100,000 people.
What to know about the virus variant that occurs in Brazil originally appeared on abcnews.go.com