US detects first cases of South Africa Coronavirus variant
Health officials in the United States have announced that the new South Africa variant of the coronavirus has been detected in two people, posing yet another public health challenge in a country already losing more than 3,000 people to COVID-19 every day.
The mutated version of the virus, first identified in South Africa, was found in two cases in South Carolina.
Public health officials said it’s almost certain that there are more infections that have not been identified yet.
They are also concerned that this version spreads more easily and that vaccines could be less effective against it.
The two cases were discovered in adults in different regions of the state and do not appear to be connected.
Neither of the people infected has traveled recently, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said on Thursday.
The arrival of the variant shows that “the fight against this deadly virus is far from over,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, South Carolina’s interim public health director, said in a statement.
Viruses constantly mutate, and coronavirus variants are circulating around the globe, but scientists are primarily concerned with the emergence of three that researchers believe may spread more easily.
Other variants first reported in the United Kingdom and Brazil were previously confirmed in the U.S.
As the variants bring a potential for greater infection risks in the U.S, pandemic-weary lawmakers in several states are pushing back against mask mandates, business closures and other protective restrictions ordered by governors.
The variant first found in South Africa was detected in October. Since then, it has been found in at least 30 other countries.
It carries mutations that allow it to bind more easily to human cells. There’s no data yet suggesting the South Africa strain is more deadly.
The South Africa variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is one of three mutations that have emerged recently, causing concern among public health authorities worldwide.
While some European countries do extensive genetic testing to detect these variants, the U.S. has done little of this detective work. But scientists have been quickly trying to do more, which has revealed the more contagious variants.
Some tests suggest the South African and Brazilian variants may be less susceptible to antibody drugs or antibody-rich blood from COVID-19 survivors, both of which help people fight off the virus.
Health officials also worry that if the virus changes enough, people might get COVID-19 a second time.
AP, Aljazeera
