Michigan has identified its first case of the P.1 or Brazil COVID-19 variant in a Bay County resident, state officials announced Thursday.
The state now has identified five variants of the coronavirus, with the B.1.1.7 variant first found in the United Kingdom the most prominent.
The P.1 variant was reported by commercial laboratory Quest, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services was notified Wednesday, according to a release from the state.
The Bay County Health Department said in a release that the resident is a female and her travel history is not known. The case was diagnosed in early March and she has recovered. It provided no additional information about the resident, including her age.
The health department is investigating her exposure history to try to identify the source of the infection. The county also is confirming appropriate isolation measures, conducting contact-tracing and requiring a full 14-day quarantine period for all close contacts, according to the release.
This is the second new variant of COVID-19 to be identified in Bay County since last week, said Joel Strasz, the county’s public health officer, adding “The rise of these new variants definitely impact the progress we have made this year with vaccinations.”
The Bay County Health Department has investigated three cases of the B.1.1.7 variant since the first case was identified in the county on Friday. No cases of the B.1.351 or South African variant have been identified in the county.
“We are concerned about the discovery of another variant in Michigan,” said Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state health department. “It is now even more important that Michiganders continue to do what works to slow the spread of the virus by wearing their masks properly, socially distancing, avoiding crowds, washing their hands often and making a plan to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine once it is their turn.
“We all have a personal responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 and end this pandemic as quickly as possible.”
Michigan is the worst in the nation for the number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the last seven days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases and hospitalizations, particularly among younger people who have not had the chance to be vaccinated yet, are on the rise.
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Any Michigander age 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday, but some providers, including the city of Detroit, Macomb County and Spectrum Health, have opened up vaccine eligibility to those age 16 and older already.
The Bay County Health Department will continue to prioritize those age 50 and older for vaccines, but will accept as many of the current age categories as allowed by the state. All Bay County residents age 16 and older are encouraged to register for a vaccine and will be sent appointment invitations for future health department clinics.
Michigan is expected to receive more vaccines next week to help mitigate the surge in cases in the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said earlier this week that the state’s direct allocation will increase by 66,020 doses, for a total of 620,040 vaccines, a weekly record high for Michigan. This includes 147,800 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
More:Michigan leads US with highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita, more vaccines coming
State officials said the P.1 variant was first identified in travelers from Brazil during routine airport screening in Tokyo in early January.
It was first detected in the United States at the end of January and contains a set of additional mutations that may affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies from previous infections and may increase the chance of reinfection, the Bay County Health Department said.
This variant has been associated with increased transmissibility and there are concerns it might affect both vaccine-induced and natural immunity, according to the state’s release Thursday.
The CDC has reported 172 cases of the P.1 variant in 22 jurisdictions, according to data updated on its website Tuesday.
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Michigan had identified 1,468 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in 51 jurisdictions in the state as of Wednesday, only second to Florida, according to state and federal health officials.
The state has identified seven cases of the B.1.351 variant in six jurisdictions in Michigan. It also has two strains first detected in California — B.1.427 and B.1.429.
More than 2.7 million Michiganders (nearly 34% of the population) have received at least one dose of vaccine, with more than 4.2 million doses being administered so far, state data shows.
Michigan has recorded 672,259 COVID-19 cases and 16,092 deaths as of Wednesday, according to the data.
State health officials said viruses change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Whole genome sequencing allows scientists to examine the genetic material of pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2.
During the last 10 months, laboratories across Michigan have been submitting samples to the state public health lab for surveillance to help monitor new variants of concern.
The state health department’s Bureau of Laboratories prioritizes additional specimens for whole genome sequencings where there is increased concern for a new variant of the virus, such as in people with a history of travel to places where the variant is known to be circulating.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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