MDHHS Identifies First Michigan Case of New COVID-19 Variant B.1.351 in Jackson County
(March 9, 2021 7:07 AM) The first Michigan case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.351 was identified in a male child living in Jackson County by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Bureau of Laboratories on Monday, March 8. Case investigation is currently underway to determine close contacts and if there are additional cases associated with this case. Originally detected in early October 2020 in South Africa, B.1.351 shares some mutations with B.1.1.7. Cases caused by this variant were reported in the United States at the end of January 2021. B.1.351 is believed to be more contagious, but there has been no indication that it affects the clinical outcomes or disease severity compared to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has been circulating across the United States for months. Scientists are still evaluating how well COVID-19 vaccines work against this new variant. However, a higher rate of transmission could increase the number of people who need to be hospitalized or who lose their lives to COVID-19 should the new variant begin circulating widely in Michigan. To date, the virus has been identified in at least 20 other states and jurisdictions in the U.S. This is the only known case in Michigan…
