RALEIGH, N.C. — While a new highly infectious strain of the coronavirus hasn’t been identified yet in North Carolina, state leaders say people should operate as if it’s already here.
“A new, highly contagious strand of the virus has been detected in the United States and we need to act as if it’s already here in North Carolina,” Gov. Roy Cooper said earlier this week. “This should inspire every one of us to double down on safety precautions.”
UK scientists concluded it made up “a substantial majority” of the cases found in England in December and was spreading rapidly throughout the nation.
Amy Ellis, a spokeswoman with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said Thursday that the U.K. variant discovered by Public Health England scientists nor another new strain that was found in South Africa have been identified in North Carolina.
But Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of NC DHHS, said people should be vigilant by following the 3 Ws — wear a mask, wait 6 feet apart and wash your hands often
“We need to realize that this virus was contagious before and now is even more contagious,” Cohen said Friday.
As of Jan. 8, 63 cases have been identified in the United States, including in Georgia and Florida, with the most cases — 32 — in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While scientists are still studying the new strain, and whether it can result in more severe symptoms or illness, its high infection rate could make it harder to end the COVID-19 pandemic, said David Weber, medical director of the UNC Statewide Program in Infection Control and Epidemiology, in an interview with The News & Observer.
“If the virus is more transmissible, then it means that the outbreak is going to be prolonged and we’d need a higher number of people either infected or immunized to stop the outbreak,” Weber said.
People who have already contracted the virus develop antibodies against it, while immunization stops people from getting sick.
The first United States case of the U.K. strain — also known as B.1.1.7 — was discovered in Colorado on Dec. 29. Since then, several other states have reported cases, including California and, this week, Georgia. On Wednesday, the Chattanooga Times Free-Press reported that Baylor University researchers believe they have discovered cases of the new strain in samples dating from Dec. 8 and Dec. 22, before the Colorado case was identified.
Beginning in November, the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health began submitting five specimens to the CDC’s National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance program every two weeks, Ellis said. On Dec. 28, the CDC lab began requesting 31 samples every two weeks.
“Specimens are selected at random,” Ellis wrote in an email to The N&O. “However, we are making sure to represent a variety of demographics, clinical characteristics and geographic locations, per CDC’s request for a diverse sampling.”
N.C. DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen outlines her directive advising N.C. residents to stay home for anything other than essential activity including work, school, and to avoid groups other than those people you live with. BY UNC-TV
The more infectious strain comes at a particularly dangerous point in the pandemic, Weber said, as COVID-19 is already surging in the state.
On Jan. 8, North Carolina was averaging 7,672 cases each day over the last week. A month ago, on Dec. 8, that number was 5,234 for a seven-day average.
While North Carolina and other states have started distributing vaccine, experts agree cases surged after Thanksgiving and will again this month, as spread from Christmas and New Year’s is recorded.
“Having a more transmissible virus only magnifies the extent of that surge,” Weber said.
That could mean more infections, even as the state’s health care workers are already facing the most taxing stretch of a pandemic they have been fighting since March.
According to British scientists, the new strain has several mutations, including one in the virus’ spike protein that allows it to bind to human cells more easily.
At a Dec. 21 press conference, World Health Organization officials said data indicates those who are infected with the new strain could go on to infect 1.5 people, compared to 1.1 people for those who are infected with strains that don’t have the spike protein variation.
The transmission rate needs to be pushed below one for the COVID-19 pandemic to begin to stop, Weber said. That becomes more difficult with a more infectious strain because it is more likely to infect someone who has not already had COVID-19 or has not taken a vaccine.
“As the virus becomes more infectious, you need a larger number of people immune by one mechanism or another to protect those who have not acquired disease,” Weber said.
Factors scientists are investigating include whether the new strain results in more hospitalizations and more deaths than older strains of COVID-19.
While evidence is scant due to the developing nature of the virus, British scientists tracked 1,340 people infected with the new strain and 1,360 people infected with older strains. Twelve of those infected with the new strain died within a month of infection, while 10 of the people with older strains died.
“There’s no evidence that the new strains are more deadly in any way,” Weber said.
Evidence suggests that COVID-19 vaccines will still protect against new strains of the virus, including B.1.1.7, Weber said. The vaccines create antibodies that guard against several different parts of the virus’ spike protein, so they should still work if only one part has mutated, according to the CDC.
Still, Weber said, even people who are vaccinated should continue to wear masks and stay physically apart from people outside of their household.
“While we know the vaccine protects you from becoming ill, we don’t yet know that it protects you from being infected and transmitting the virus,” Weber said.
As the 3Ws can protect people from contracting COVID-19, the steps also should help protect them from the new strain, according to Weber.
“There’s no reason to believe that it’s going to alter physical distancing or it’s going to alter the ability of a mask to protect,” Weber said. “Those should not change, and we should continue to do those.”
