CHICAGO — The Chicago Department of Health (CDPH) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Friday announced the first case in Illinois of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 first identified in the United Kingdom.
The first case in the United States was identified roughly two weeks ago in Colorado and has since been identified in several other states.
The new variant, according to research, can spread more easily than most currently-circulating strains of COVID-19.
“When we learned of this and other COVID-19 variants, we increased our surveillance efforts by performing genomic sequence testing on an increased number of specimens,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We will continue to collaborate with our academic partners, local health departments like CDPH, hospitals, and the CDC to monitor for additional cases.”
The individual who was found to have the new strain had travelled to the UK and the Middle East in the 14 days prior to their diagnosis.
The COVID-19 virus, like other viruses, constantly changes through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. According to the CDC, this variant is estimated to have first emerged in the UK during September 2020.
Other novel variants of the virus, which also might change the way the virus transmits or behaves, have been identified in South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Japan and the US. More novel strains are likely to be identified in the coming weeks and months.
