First known COVID variant case detected in Durham County, health officials say
The first known B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 — the more contagious strain that was first discovered in the United Kingdom — has been detected in Durham County, health officials said Thursday.
Durham County Health Director Rod Jenkins said detecting the case in Durham was expected, as several cases already have been identified across the state since the first one was confirmed on Jan. 27. There are 37 known cases in North Carolina, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Thursday, the CDC reported that 1,881 cases had been detected in 45 states.
The person who contracted this variant is in isolation, the health department said, and contacts have been identified. No information was provided about the person.
There is one known case in North Carolina of the other COVID-19 variant, B. 1.351, which was first detected in South Africa, the CDC reports. It was first confirmed Feb. 11, The News & Observer reports. Across the country, there are 46 known cases in 14 states.
During a Wednesday press conference, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen called the new variants “a wild card” and said they could threaten the state’s improving COVID-19 metrics.
“We know these variants are here in our state and are more contagious, so keep wearing a mask, waiting six feet apart and washing your hands,” Cohen said. “We’ve seen in the past how fragile progress can be.”
A sample taken from Mecklenburg County last month marked the first time that the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first sequenced in the United Kingdom, was identified in North Carolina.
In an effort to protect against the more infectious coronavirus variants, DHHS is recommending people wear two layers of masks in line with guidance from the CDC.
SarahLewis Peel, a DHHS spokeswoman, told The N&O earlier this month that the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health has been submitting at least five random samples to the CDC for sequencing every two weeks since November.
On Feb. 8, the CDC started requesting 16 samples from North Carolina every week. The CDC also has increased its surveillance due to the new variants, asking for a total of 61 specimens from North Carolina’s lab until the week of March 8, Peel said.
In addition to those 61 specimens, Labcorp evaluates some of its own samples via a contract the company has with the CDC.
Wednesday, Cohen said North Carolina officials also hope to benefit from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ $200 million investment to triple sequencing of COVID-19 samples. In a release, HHS said the CDC will work with commercial labs, research institutions and federal labs to increase sequencing capacity.
“We expect to participate in that effort and (in) making sure even more samples from North Carolina will be part of that surveillance effort as we go forward,” Cohen said.
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 3:27 PM with the headline "First known COVID variant case detected in Durham County, health officials say."