According to the Department of Public Health, the so-called “South African” variant of the COID-19 virus has been found in a Connecticut patient for the first time.
The B.1.351 variant was found in a Fairfield County resident aged 60-70 who had not recently traveled. The person is currently hospitalized outside the state, the DPHA said.
Connecticut was notified of the diagnosis by health officials in New York.
The B.1.351 variant is more contagious than the original Covid-19 virus. The strain of the virus first entered South Africa in October-October 2020 and was first detected in the United States in late January 2021, according to a news release.
“Looking at the second type in our state, we are reminded of the severity of the epidemic and we strengthen the need to take all necessary precautions that have been successful in the past year. The virus does not recognize state borders, and it certainly does not recognize international borders, which means that we have a responsibility to do what we can on an individual basis to prevent it from spreading.
With the discovery of the new B1.351 variant, as well as conf૨ crime cases in Connecticut, the first B1.7.7 variant to be found in the UK, health officials urged residents to keep urging when it comes to wearing masks and social distance.
Improvement (Feb. 15, 2021 4:21 pm) In the earlier version of this story, D.P.H. Was misinformed that the B.1.351 variable is due to a more serious illness than the original strain of COVID-19. D.P.H. Now say that the CDC. Guidance shows no evidence that it causes a more serious illness.
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