Vermont has registered its first case of the B.1.1.7 variant of Covid-19, a more transmissible mutation of the virus that originated in the United Kingdom, Department of Health officials said Monday.
Officials first detected the presence of the variant in Burlington wastewater samples nearly a month ago. The case reported Monday was detected in a specimen taken from a resident of Chittenden County, the department said in a statement.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine emphasized that the arrival of the variant was a concern, but not a surprise.
“This and other variants have been circulating throughout the U.S. for some time, so we expected to find evidence of it here,” Levine said. “In fact, we are the last New England state where it has been detected.”
The variant has had health officials on high alert, as it is more contagious than the strain of the virus that has been dominant in Vermont. But Levine urged Vermonters to remain confident in the state’s efforts to vaccinate people, as the vaccines in use have been shown to effectively protect them against the B.1.1.7 variant.
“We are moving to vaccinate people as quickly as possible, and I ask everyone who is eligible for each phase to get vaccinated,” Levine said. “But now that we know the variant is here, it is ever more important that everyone follow our guidance to prevent transmission: Wear your mask, keep a distance of six feet from each other, and absolutely avoid crowded places.”
Burlington has been monitoring wastewater for viral activity since last August and announced in January that it would begin testing wastewater for the B.1.1.7 strain. The city first detected traces of the strain in wastewater samples on Feb. 11.
Forty-nine states and territories have now registered cases of the B.1.1.7. variant, the health department said Monday. Meanwhile, scientists are working to determine the level of protection provided by the vaccines against strains that have emerged in South Africa and Brazil.
While vaccines provide equal protection against B.1.1.7, Pfizer’s vaccine has been shown to provide less protection against B.1.351, the strain first detected in South Africa — which has not been detected in Vermont. Scientists are working to develop new ways to effectively vaccinate people against those variants.
