KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Health officials in Douglas County announced Thursday that a COVID-19 variant has been detected among its new cases.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health said one new case of the B.1.1.7 variant, which originated in the United Kingdom and is commonly referred to as the UK variant, has been detected.
“It is the first of that type identified in the county, and among about 30 total in Kansas in recent weeks,” the health department said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 7,500 cases of the UK variant detected in the U.S. as of Tuesday.
The Douglas County case was travel-related.
“This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants,” the CDC said in February. “In January 2021, experts in the UK reported that this variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variant viruses, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding.”
It’s unclear whether current vaccines will be as effective against the emerging variants, including COVID-19 mutations that originated in South Africa and Brazil.
New variants also have been detected in California and New York, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Douglas County health officers urged continued vigilance to protect against COVID-19 amid the ongoing pandemic — including social distancing, wearing face masks, limiting social gatherings and frequent handwashing.
"With what we are seeing with the virus in other parts of the country right now, we don't want to let our guards down so that we can continue to see the success we have had in Douglas County at keeping our numbers down," Dr. Jennifer Schrimsher, an infectious disease specialist at LMH Health said in a statement. "It's important to not get complacent even as thankfully more and more people in our community are getting vaccinated, especially those at most risk for experiencing death or hospitalization. We can't let up now."
Kansas entered Phases 3 and 4 of its COVID-19 vaccination plan on Monday, including for Douglas County.
“We would also encourage all eligible Douglas County residents to get vaccinated when it’s their turn as the approved vaccines have shown to provide protection against hospitalizations and death due to the virus,” Douglas County's Local Health officer Dr. Thomas Marcellino said in a statement.
The UK variant has been detected throughout Missouri in wastewater samples, but it’s not considered prevalent.
