New virus variants reported in Va. after emerging in Calif.
The Virginia Department of Health announced Thursday that two new COVID-19 variants were reported in the state.
Health officials said samples of the B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants were collected between December and February from Virginia residents. It is unclear from which region the samples came.
“The Department of General Services Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services confirmed the cases using next-generation sequencing analysis, which provides a genetic blueprint of the virus that causes COVID-19,” the health department said.
Both mutations emerged in California last summer, the health department said. There is no evidence either variant can cause more severe disease.
Fourteen cases of the B.1.427 variant were reported in Virginia, along with nine cases of the B.1.429 strain.
The mutations are linked to increased person-to-person transmission, health officials said.
The health department reported 1,559 new COVID19 cases Thursday, bringing Virginia’s total to 610,263.
These variants are the third and fourth mutations reported in the state. On Jan. 25, health officials reported the first case of the B.1.1.7 variant, which emerged in the United Kingdom. There have been 127 cases identified in the commonwealth since.
The B.1.351 strain, which surfaced in South Africa, was reported Feb. 5 in eastern Virginia. There are 26 known cases in the state.
“With the combined state and national surveillance efforts, it is likely that additional cases with SARSCoV-2 variants of concern will be identified,” the health department said.
Four out of five mutations on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “variants of concern” list have been identified in Virginia.
Variants of concern could show evidence of increased transmissibility, increased disease severity, and impact diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.
Health officials said it is not unusual for viruses to change. To stop the spread of the virus, they urged the public to maintain mitigation strategies such as wearing a mask, washing hands, social distancing and getting a vaccine when one is available.