1st Case Of South African Coronavirus Variant Confirmed In IL

ILLINOIS — A coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa has made its way to Illinois, public health officials said Thursday.

A Rock Island resident was recently confirmed to be carrying the B.1.351 variant, the first known case in the state, Illinois Department of Public Health officials announced. The department also confirmed Illinois has 22 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom.

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IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said public health officials “expected to see more cases” of coronavirus variants, including those from South Africa and the UK, warning they could lead to a fresh surge in cases.

“These variants seem to spread more rapidly, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19 and even another surge,” Ezike said in a release. “Our best path to defeating this virus as quickly as possible remains wearing our masks and getting vaccinated when it’s our turn.”

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Nita Ludwig, administrator of the Rock Island County Health Department, echoed Ezike’s call for residents to continue following public health guidelines.

“Having this new variant in our community underscores the need to take personal precautions to prevent further spread,” Ludwig said in the release.

B117 COVID-19 Variant First Identified In UK Detected In Illinois

Cases of the South African coronavirus variant were first identified in the U.S. at the end of January, and researchers are working to determine if currently approved vaccines will offer the same level of protection against it and other variants, according to the IDPH.

Public health officials are also monitoring a variant known as P.1, which has emerged in Brazil. There were no identified cases of the P.1 variant in Illinois, as of Friday.