State’s first case of new COVID strain found in Norwalk

A new strain of coronavirus was detected in a Norwalk resident, according to the city.

Officials reported Friday that a case of the B.1.427 variant of COVID-19 was detected in Norwalk on March 18. This variant was first detected in California. The Centers for Disease Control identified it as a “variant of concern” with approximately 20 percent chance of increased transmission.

This is the one case of the B.1.427 variant in Connecticut, according to a news release issued Friday. Officials urged residents to wear their masks and continue to socially distance.

There are now 295 total cases across the five known COVID-19 variants in Connecticut, with the majority of cases, 283, being the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first detected in the United Kingdom. The remaining cases are the B.1.351 variant, which was first detected in South Africa; the P.1. variant, which was first detected in Brazil; and the B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants, which were both first detected in California.

Norwalk is still in “red alert” status based on state Department of Health standards. The alert is based on having more than 15 positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period. According to the Norwalk Health Department, there were 28.1 cases per 100,000 people between March 7 and March 13 and 26.4 cases per 100,000 people between Feb. 28 and March 13. The test positivity rate from Feb. 28 to March was 5.1 percent.