By Christine Clarridge
The first known case of the coronavirus variant (click here) discovered in South Africa has popped up in King County, and 19 additional cases of the variant first found in the UK have been identified, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
The B.1.351 variant of SARS-CoV-2, first seen in South Africa in December, was identified through genomic sequencing at the UW Medicine Virology Laboratory. It has been found in 10 states in the U.S.
The B.1.1.7 strain, which was first identified in the UK, seems to spread more easily and quickly than other variants and was first found a month ago in Washington state.
The appearance of the variants in Washington is not a surprise, Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said at a news briefing Tuesday.
The virus will continue to evolve and not all variants are worrisome, but those that are — called “variants of concern” — include both the UK and South Africa variants, he said.
Duchin said the new strains should cause people to “double down on their efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmissions.”...
