New virus variant discovered in the US

Find comes as Republican lawmakers move to strip governors of virus powers, emergency declarations

A new variant of the coronavirus emerged yesterday in the United States, posing yet another public health challenge in a country already losing more than 3000 people to Covid-19 every day.

The mutated version of the virus, first identified in South Africa, was found in two cases in the state of South Carolina.

Public health officials said it is almost certain that there are more infections that have not been identified yet. They are also concerned that this version spreads more easily and that vaccines could be less effective against it.

The two cases were discovered in adults in different regions of the state and do not appear to be connected. Neither of the people infected has travelled recently, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said yesterday.

“That’s frightening,” because it means there could be more undetected cases within the state, said Dr Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

“It’s probably more widespread”. The arrival of the variant shows that “the fight against this deadly virus is far from over”, Dr Brannon Traxler, South Carolina’s interim public health director, said in a statement. “While more Covid-19 vaccines are on the way, supplies are still limited. Every one of us must recommit to the fight by recognising that we are all on the frontlines now. We are all in this together.”

Viruses constantly mutate, and coronavirus variants are circulating around the globe, but scientists are primarily concerned with the emergence of three that researchers believe may spread more easily. Other variants first reported in the United Kingdom and Brazil were previously confirmed in the US.

As the variants bring a potential for greater infection risks in the US, pandemic-weary lawmakers in several states are pushing back against mask mandates, business closures and other protective restrictions ordered by governors.

States including Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky and Indiana are weighing proposals to limit their governors’ abilities to impose emergency restrictions. Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Assembly had been expected to vote to repeal Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ mask mandate, but lawmakers abruptly called off the vote yesterday in the face of broad criticism and out of concern it would jeopardise more than US$49 million ($68m) in federal aid. Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a constitutional amendment to strip the governor of many of his emergency powers.

Governors argue that they need authority to act swiftly in a crisis, and limitations could slow critical emergency responses.

Meanwhile, Nebraska health officials said the state could be days away from lifting restrictions on indoor gatherings, citing a low percentage of Covid-19 hospitalisations. Other states seeing declining infections are also loosening limitations on restaurants and other businesses, though experts have warned the public to stay vigilant about masks and social distancing or risk further surges.

In South Carolina, the state health agency said the variant was found in one person from the state’s coastal region and another in its northeastern corner.

The state gave little other information, citing privacy concerns, though Traxler said neither of the people was contagious any longer.

“Both were tested very early in the month, and my understanding is that both are doing well,” Traxler said.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican, loosened most of the state’s remaining pandemic restrictions in September. Spokesman Brian Symmes said McMaster does not plan to order new restrictions based on the discovery of the variant.

“This is important information for South Carolinians to have,” McMaster said, “but it isn’t a reason for panic.”

Scientists last week reported preliminary signs that some of the recent mutations may modestly curb the effectiveness of two vaccines, although they stressed that the vaccines still protect against the disease.

There are also signs that some of the new mutations may undermine tests for the virus and reduce the effectiveness of certain treatments.

The coronavirus has already sickened millions and killed roughly

430,000 people in the United States. While the rollout of vaccines has been slow, President Joe Biden has pledged to deliver 100 million injections in his first 100 days in office — and suggested it’s possible the US could reach 1.5 million shots a day.

While some European countries do extensive genetic testing to detect these variants, the US has done little of this detective work.

But scientists have been quickly trying to do more, which has revealed the more contagious variants.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has reported at least

315 cases of the US-discovered variant in the United States.

Those reports have come from at least 28 states, and health officials believe it could become the dominant strain in the US by March.