More Contagious COVID-19 Variant Surges Ahead Of FL Spring Break

FLORIDA — As the number of new coronavirus cases reported daily in Florida declines — around 4,500 new cases were reported Tuesday, according to state data — the mutated and more contagious variant of the virus that originated in the United Kingdom remains a concern in the Sunshine State.

The state far outpaces other areas of the country with 642 cases of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant confirmed in Florida as of Sunday, the last time the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on variants was updated.

There are 3,037 reported cases of the strain in the United States. Every state but Oklahoma, South Dakota and Vermont have reported at least one case of B.1.1.7., according to the CDC.

Following Florida, the state with the second-highest number of U.K. variants are found in Michigan with 437 cases. The majority of states have recorded fewer than 100 cases, though, many states only have cases in the single digits.

These reported cases are based on a sampling of positive specimens and don’t represent the total number of B.1.1.7 in the Florida or elsewhere, the CDC said.

According to data from Helix, a testing company working with health officials to track COVID-19 variants, the B.1.1.7 variant actually makes up about 42 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the state, WTSP reported. That’s much higher than the national total, which is only about 26 percent.

This could mean trouble during spring break with thousands of visitors descending on the state, since the U.K. variant is more contagious than other variants, some experts say.

“We're in a crucial window where we could still prevent a surge now if we're careful, but with the looming spring (break), and how millions are going to come to Florida, and then return to wherever they come from, it could really exacerbate this," epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding told WTSP.

The B.1.1.7 variant is moving toward becoming the dominant variant in Florida by mid-March. This is no surprise, as it’s been long projected by experts, Dr. Michael Tang, a virologist with USF Health, told WFTS.

The timing of its dominance emerging around spring break is the problem, he said. “This also is one of those things that we should be careful because it could take off. You could start off another surge in cases.”

Spring break partiers could create “the perfect storm” for the B.1.1.7 variant to spread quickly to other states, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN.

"You've got the B.1.1.7 variant accelerating in Florida. You've got all these 20-year-old kids. None of them are going to have masks. They're all going to be drinking. They're having pretty close, intimate contact. And then, after that's all done, they're going to go back to their home states and spread the B.1.1.7 variant,” he said.

The variant emerged in the United States at the end of December, first appearing in Colorado. Florida's first case was confirmed Dec. 31. The patient was a male in his 20s with no history of travel, the state Department of Health said.

Two additional global variants have made their way to the United States, the B.1.351 from South Africa, and P.1 from Brazil, though the U.K. variant is far more prevalent, the CDC said. There have also been variants of the virus only found in certain areas of the United States.