GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Doctors in Wisconsin are on the lookout for a new strain of the COVID-19 coronavirus first detected in the United Kingdom after that virus was detected this weekend in neighboring Minnesota.
The variant, while no more deadly than regular COVID-19, has mutated to be able to spread faster than normal.
Bellin Health’s COVID Incident Command Branch Lead Physician Dr. Robert Mead says the original coronavirus has a reproduction value of 1.2, meaning for every person with the virus, 1.2 more would get it.
For COVID-19 to begin to go away, a reproduction value under 1 is needed, but now, a new strain of the coronavirus has an even higher reproduction value, around 1.5.
“These viruses are changing all the time and they’ve come up with one that’s stronger and more fit and able to survive better,” Dr. Mead said.
Health officials say it was only a matter of time before a mutated variant of the coronavirus emerged.
“Somebody termed it the genetic slot machine,” Dr. Mead told FOX 11.
“COVID-19 was also highly transmissible, so to find a strain that even transmits faster and easier is extremely worrisome,” Prevea Health President & CEO Dr. Ashok Rai said.
“It hasn’t come to Wisconsin yet,” Dr. Mead added.
At least no cases have been confirmed in Wisconsin. But Dr. Mead says it isn’t a matter of if the strain comes to Wisconsin, but when.
“The only way to prevent it would be to close the borders, which is obviously unrealistic,” Dr. Mead said.
This more contagious strain of the virus emerged in the U.K., but it has now travelled overseas, confirmed in California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. On Saturday, Minnesota joined the list, when health officials reported 5 cases of the B-1-1-7 variant, right across our border.
“We have to assume it easily could be in all 50 states. Just given how interstate travel works in our country,” Dr. Rai said.
“It’s not more deadly if you get it than the present virus is,” Dr. Mead said. But Dr. Mead warns that it’s 70% more contagious.
“More people are going to get it more easily, so that means more people in the hospital,” Dr. Mead said. “That means more people in the ICU, that means more people dying.”
“And it could be even worse than we’ve seen in our previous surges because of just how this strain spreads,” Dr. Rai continued.
There is some good news, Dr. Mead says, “Pfizer has done testing and it appears that the vaccine is effective for this strain.”
Still, “If this strain becomes the predominant strain, we have to vaccinate more people to get herd immunity,” Dr. Mead says.
In total there are around 17 different variants of the coronavirus.
To confirm the B-1-1-7 variant in Wisconsin, specialists have to send swabs to the state lab in Madison, for a special genetic testing.
As of Friday, Bellin had sent a half dozen samples, but none were confirmed to be the strain.
