'India variant' of coronavirus arrives in Iowa, joining U.K. and Brazil variants
The "India variant" of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Iowa, although state health officials said they don't believe it's as much of a threat as the "U.K. variant," which has predominated here lately.
The new strain of the virus, formally known as the B.1.617 variant, was reported Tuesday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Lab tests found it in samples from two unidentified adults in Jefferson County, the department said in a news release.
Two other variants of the coronavirus were confirmed in Iowa earlier this spring.
The initial variant, B.1.1.7, is known as the "U.K. variant," because it was first found in the United Kingdom. That version is significantly more transmissible than the original version of the coronavirus, experts say. By mid-April, state officials determined it had become the dominant strain in Iowa.
On April 15, state officials announced that a Johnson County patient had come down with Iowa's first confirmed infection from the "Brazil variant," or P.1.
More:Iowa reports 373 new confirmed coronavirus cases, no additional COVID-19 deaths
The third variant, B.1.617, was first discovered in India, which is suffering a catastrophic wave of COVID-19 infections. However, experts are unsure whether that version of the virus bears much blame for India's raging epidemic, which also is being fueled by the U.K. variant.
The Iowa health department said Tuesday that B.1.617 is not believed to be as much of a threat as the other two variants that were already present in Iowa. But its discovery here still highlights the need for Iowans to take precautions, such as social distancing and mask-wearing in public, and to seek vaccination as soon as possible.
The current shots are believed to protect against all variants now present in Iowa.
“Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to prevent this, or any other currently circulating strain of the virus from spreading through the population. Since the vaccine is now open to all Iowans over the age of 16, we have the opportunity to use this tool to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities,” Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the department's medical director and state epidemiologist, said in a news release.
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More than 57% of Iowa adults had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Tuesday afternoon, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, demand for the vaccinations has slackened in recent weeks, raising concerns that the pandemic could drag on for months.
The CDC has stopped publicly posting the number of variant coronavirus infections in each state. Instead, the federal agency is reporting percentage prevalence of the variants in different regions of the country. That chart shows the U.K. variant dominating in the region that includes Iowa.
Tony Leys covers health care for the Register. Reach him at tleys@registermedia.com or 515-284-8449.
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