Coronavirus Variant Cases Drop In CT For First Time

CONNECTICUT — The number of coronavirus variant cases in the state has dropped by seven, according to the latest data released by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

Variants of the coronavirus are watched carefully by health officials as they can be more contagious, more resistant to vaccines, or even more deadly. New coronavirus variants have been at the heart of COVID-19 surges throughout the world, most notably in the U.K.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified three types of coronavirus variants: variants of interest, variants of concern and variants of high consequence.

A variant of interest might require enhanced sequence surveillance, enhanced laboratory characterization, or epidemiological investigations to assess how easily the virus spreads to others, the severity of disease, the efficacy of therapeutics and whether currently authorized vaccines offer protection.

Variants of concern are more of a clear and present danger, according to the CDC. These show evidence of an increase in transmissibility, increased hospitalizations and/or deaths, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures. They may also be less impressed by the immunity you thought you had developed when you came down with COVID-19 earlier in the pandemic.

At the top of the totem pole for coronavirus rogue strains are the variants of consequence. They can have all the problems associated with a variant of concern, alongside demonstrated diagnostic failures, possible significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness, a disproportionately high number of vaccine breakthrough cases, or very low vaccine-induced protection against severe disease. The good news? No variants of consequence have been reported in Connecticut — or anywhere in the U.S. — yet.

Among Connecticut variants of interest, the Brazilian P.2 has held steady for four weeks at seven cases. The variant B.1.525, which hails from Africa and Europe, has held at 10 cases for a month as well.

As of this week, the CDC has updated its scorecard and is breaking out the so-called "New York variant" of interest to include both B.1.526 and B.1.526.1 separately. Last week there were 478 cases reported of B.1.526 in the state; this week, there are just 308, and another 73 of B.1.526.1. That's an overall reduction of 97 cases.

Among the state's variants of concern, B.1.1.7 ("U.K.") is up from 945 to 1,033 cases. Californian variants B.1.427 and B.1.429, and Brazilian variant P.1 have held at 55, 120 and nine cases, respectively. Cases of the South African variant B.1.351 crept up two cases, to 11.

An additional 1,034 cases of the coronavirus were confirmed Friday in the state, bringing that total to 334,766. With 39,469 tests reported, the daily positivity rate now sits at 2.62 percent.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital beds plummeted overnight by 37. That brings the number of those hospitalized the coronavirus in Connecticut to 478.

Coronavirus-associated deaths across the state rose by 8 in the data reported Friday. The COVID-19 death toll in Connecticut now stands at 8,047.

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