Highly contagious COVID-19 variant confirmed for the first time in Sacramento area
A genetic variant of the coronavirus believed by scientists to be much more contagious than others has been detected for the first time in the Sacramento area, local officials announced Monday.
The city of Davis, the University of California, Davis, and Yolo County in a joint statement announced that the COVID-19 variant known as B.1.1.7, first located in the United Kingdom last fall, has been detected in Yolo County.
“This individual is an adult and may have acquired the variant through travel outside of the community,” the news release said, though the statement didn’t clarify where the person may have traveled. The infected person has been notified and is in isolation.
Scientists at the UC Davis Genome Center have been genotyping samples of COVID-19 since January and say the case disclosed Monday is the first known case of the B.1.1.7 variant in the Sacramento region. The variant had been detected previously in Southern California and has been found in 32 other states.
Davis and Yolo officials noted that “studies suggest that antibodies generated through vaccination with currently authorized vaccines recognize” the B.1.1.7 variant, meaning both Pfizer and Moderna’s shots do appear to be effective in protecting against it.
“Given that the B.1.1.7 variant has already been found in Southern California and the Bay Area, it is not surprising that it has now been detected in Yolo County,” county health officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in a prepared statement. “However, detecting this more infectious variant locally is a reminder that even though case rates are declining in Yolo County, we must maintain our vigilance and continue using protective measures against coronavirus.
“Masking, distancing, and avoiding indoor gatherings are as important as ever, and will continue to be critical until most of the population has immunity. We cannot let down our guard.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a recent report warned that the variant could become the dominant strain of COVID-19 by March, fueling experts’ concerns of another severe surge this spring.
Scientists around the world have identified a number of COVID-19 variants of interest in recent months. Researchers are particularly concerned by those with potential to make the virus more contagious, more dangerous or more resistant to existing vaccines and vaccine candidates.
One concerning variant called B.1.351 was first found in South Africa. Rollout of AstraZeneca’s vaccine — which uses a different type of technology than Pfizer or Moderna’s, both mRNA vaccines — has been paused in that country after an early trial there suggested it was minimally effective against B.1.351.
The Davis Genome Center’s rapid genotyping can detect B.1.351 and other known variants quickly, but it cannot discover brand-new viral mutations, Monday’s announcement of the B.1.1.7 case explains.
“All positive samples identified by the testing lab are now genotyped immediately for all currently known variants of concern,” Dr. Richard Michelmore, director of the genome center, said in a statement. “Samples of interest will also be sequenced.”
Professor Samuel L. Díaz-Muñoz, whose lab confirmed that the variant found was B.1.1.7, said widespread transmission of the virus contributes to the emergence of new variants.
“These variants shouldn’t be a sign that we should give up, but rather be a wake-up call” on the seriousness of the virus, Díaz-Muñoz said in Monday’s statement.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 1:01 PM.
