More contagious COVID variant found in Tri-Cities. First time in Eastern WA
A variant of the COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom has been found in a test sample collected in Benton County.
It is the first variant of the coronavirus found in Eastern Washington, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.
“While there is cause for concern, there is no need for alarm,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.
The B.1.1.7 variant, also called the UK Variant, is known to be more contagious than the strain of the coronavirus that has spread through the Tri-Cities area for more than a year.
“However, it is inconclusive at this time if the strain is more deadly,” Dr. Person said.
As of March 3, the Washington state Department of Health had reported 70 cases of the UK Variant identified in Washington state and five case of the variant first identified in South Africa.
They were found in King, Whatcom, Pierce, Clark, Island, Snohomish and Skagit counties, with the South Africa Variant found only in King County.
The majority of samples checked for variants in January and February in Washington state were from King, Yakima, Snohomish, Pierce, Whatcom and Spokane counties.
Most counties, including Benton and Franklin counties, had 76 or fewer samples checked for the variant in those months, although about a quarter of samples tested had no location recorded, according to the latest state report on variant sequencing.
Finding the UK Variant in Benton County confirms it is in the Tri-Cities area, but does not indicate its prevalence, Dr. Person said.
Washington state has been genotyping a little less than 3% of the test samples that were positive from people who were checked for COVID-19 across the state, which is a higher percentage than most states. The state’s goal is to increase that to 5%.
The local health district described the genotying process as “intensive,” which has limited how many samples have been checked to date.
The Benton Franklin Health District has been expecting the local identification of a variant strain, as viruses normally change as they spread, it said.
“The best way to stop virus mutations is to stop spread,” Dr. Person said.
The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are all highly effective against the UK Variant, she said.
And the same methods that can contain the strain most commonly found in the United States is also can be used to contain the UK Variant, she said. That includes wearing masks, handwashing, distancing, limiting gatherings and decreasing time spent with nonhousehold members.