More contagious COVID-19 strain identified in county
The new strain of the COVID-19 virus considered more contagious has been identified in the Houston area, Harris County Public Health confirmed Thursday, a threat to hopes that recovery fromthe pandemic is within sight.
The strain, initially discovered in the United Kingdom, was found in a southwest Harris County man between 30 and 40 years old, the county reported in a news release. The case marks the first time the strain has been identified in Texas.
“This variant has the potential to throw jet fuel on an already dangerous situation,” County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a news conference about the strain. “It’s something of a turbocharged version of the virus in the sense that it’s a lot more contagious. The point is that the more cases of the virus we see, themore people hospitalized, the more people die, so please do not discount this.”
The man, in stable condition, had no travel history, county health officials said, leading Houston scientists to conclude the strain may already be well established in the community.
“I just assume it’s already here,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said, even though the strain has not yet been identified in the city.
The identification comes as the Houston area recorded its ninth straight day of COVID-19 making up more than 15 percent of hospitalizations, a streak that Tuesday triggered further business restrictions. Around the state, there were a record 13,784 patients hospitalized with the disease Thursday. More than 29,000 Texans have died from the disease, including nearly 5,000 in the Houston area.
The case specimen was randomly chosen for the CDC to test for the variant. Harris County Public Health was notified by the Texas health department that it
“It was only a matter of time.”
Dr. Joseph Petrosino, director of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine
was positive.
Scientists think the strain does not cause more severe symptoms and is covered by the currently approved vaccines. But United Kingdom scientists have estimated it is 40 percent to 70 percent more contagious.
The identification of the strain, known as B.1.1.7, marks the second time that a mutation thought to be more contagious has been identified in Houston and the nation. D614G was first identified in the Houston area in the spring and quickly became the dominant strain in the area.
Houston scientists called it “inevitable” that the new strain was identified in Houston. At least five other U.S. states and 33 countries have reported finding it.
“It was only a matter of time,” said Dr. Joseph Petrosino, director of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. “It’s concerning from the standpoint that increased transmissibility means that unless we do a better job stopping the spread, we’re going to have more people in already overtaxed hospitals. Also, more spread leads to more new variants, any of which could be more severe or resistant to treatment.”
Petrosino said he would not be surprised if the new strain quickly becomes the dominant one in Houston. After surfacing in the U.K. in September, it accounted for more than 60 percent of new cases in London and neighboring areas by December.
Still, the strain’s level of contagion is far from settled. U.K. scientists initially estimated that the new variant was 70 percent more transmissible, but a recent modeling study reduced the number to 56 percent. Other researchers have suggested that once all the data is analyzed, it’s possible the strain will turn out to be just 10 percent to 20 percent more contagious.
Dr. Wesley Long, a Houston Methodist scientist actively involved in virus sequencing efforts, said it’s too early to conclude the strain is definitely more contagious.
“It certainly looks concerning, but we need more data, such invitro evidence, to prove that the variant is more transmissible,” said Long. “The increased spread in the U.K. could be because of a breakdown in the social distancing practices needed to keep the virus under control.”
Methodist scientists were initially unconvinced that the D614G mutation was more contagious than the original virus, but they ultimately concluded itwas because of the preponderance of the evidence, Long said. He said that may turn out to be the case with B.1.1.7, too.
Methodist has has led Houston-area COVID-19 virus sequencing, analyzing more than 15,000 specimens since the pandemic arrived in the region in March. It has not yet identified the newstrain inasample.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a Baylor infectious disease specialist, said the identification of the variant in Harris County only reinforces the need to speed up administration of the two vaccines that protect against COVID-19. The effort, in Texas and the nation, has been criticized for moving too slowly.
Hotez also said the variant’s identification reinforces the need to model its prevalence in the area.
The Houston-area case reported Thursday is under investigation by Harris County Public Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“Though mutations of a virus are expected, we are closely monitoring this case and any potential contacts to prevent the ongoing spread of the virus at all levels,” said Dr. Sherri Onyiego, newhealth authority for Harris County.
County epidemiologists are identifying, notifying and quarantining all of the individual’s close contacts, officials said. The man will remain in isolation until cleared by public health officials.
“The prevention measures for this strain are no different (than other strains) and our community should continue staying home in addition to wearing face masks, social distancing, getting tested, and washing your hands frequently,” said Onyiego. “We know that our community is growing COVID fatigued, but as cases and hospitalizations are steadily increasing, now is not the time to drop our guard down.”
Harris County is at its highest threat level since last June. The level urges residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary contact with others. The guidelines are unenforceable, however, since Gov. Greg Abbott declined to grant Hidalgo the power to issue rules stricter than his.