First case of U.K. COVID-19 variant found in Middle GA. What that means for residents

One case of a new, more contagious variant of COVID-19 has been identified in Middle Georgia, according to the North Central Health District.

The case in Houston County is the first of the so-called U.K. variant in the NCHD’s 13-county district, which includes most of Middle Georgia. The variant, technically known as B117, has been linked to at least 45 cases in the state. The Houston County case is the first outside of the Atlanta metro or neighboring counties.

The NCHD has begun contact tracing for the cases to detect, inform and monitor anyone who has come in close contact with the infected individual.

“Existing evidence does show that this variant spreads rapidly when compared to what we see with the common strain,” said Amber Erickson, NCHD Director of Epidemiology, Community Assessment and Research Initiatives. “We all need to be more conscious about protecting ourselves and others now that a COVID-19 variant has been identified locally.”

Vaccine effectiveness against new strains

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies suggest that antibodies produced by current vaccines can recognize and fight this variant, but more studies are underway to determine how effective vaccines are against it.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on “Face the Nation” Sunday the new strain may be the “dominant strain” in the country by the end of March.

To help prevent contracting the new coronavirus strain, Walensky said to follow the same guidelines laid by the CDC for the common strain of the virus.

“The B117 variant may be less forgiving when we have breaches in these mitigation strategies, but the mitigation strategies are indeed the same,” she said. “We are nowhere out of the woods… if we relax these mitigation strategies with increasing transmissible variants out there, we could be in a much more difficult spot.”

Mitigation strategies

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue. If a tissue is not available, use the inside of your elbow to cover yourself.
• Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch objects and surfaces.
• Keep at least a six-foot distance from others in public spaces.
• Avoid large gatherings or crowds.
• Wear layered face coverings in public spaces.

One of the recent recommendation changes from the CDC has been double-masking. A report from the CDC stated that wearing a cloth mask over a medical mask blocks over 80% of small particles from an unmasked person.

That same report stated that the two masks, if worn separately, blocked just over 50% of particles. A knotted and tucked surgical mask also blocks 77% of those particles. According to the report, the experiments highlight the importance of a good fit to maximize overall mask performance.

This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.