As COVID Variants Spread, Here's How PA Compares

PENNSYLVANIA — Emergent variants of the coronavirus are thought to be a key driving force in the ongoing fourth surge, which has hit Pennsylvania and other parts of the nation over the past several weeks. Now, new research shows that Pennsylvania has a higher prevalence of variants than most other states across the nation.

One study, from the British research and technology firm Helix, places Pennsylvania third in the nation in total number of all variants "of concern."

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control say that Pennsylvania's 839 confirmed cases of the most common of these variants, the B.1.1.7 U.K. variant, trails only a handful of states: California, Florida, Michigan, Colorado, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Minnesota.

The state's ability to use genomic sequencing to test for the virus is very limited, by their own admission, and they have said from the beginning that the number of variants present is significantly higher than what they've confirmed.

In fact, according to Helix, as many as 50 percent of all new cases in Pennsylvania since Feb. 1 may be due to variants.

Here's the list of the top 10 states by confirmed cases of B.1.1.7, per the CDC:

1. Florida - 3,510
2. Michigan - 2,262
3. Minnesota - 1,563
4. Massachussetts - 1,100
5. Colorado - 1,041
6. Georgia - 1,022
7. California - 1,001
8. Pennsylvania - 839
9. Tennessee - 812
10. Connecticut - 792

The Helix study notes that the virus is present in communities that have no known exposure to individuals that have traveled internationally. This means that community transmission — a phrase used to describe the virus when contact tracing for each case proves impossible — is happening.

Beyond struggles to detect these variants, there is still much about them that is unknown. The variants of concern, like the U.K. variant, and other, less prevalent variants out of South Africa, Brazil, and California, are all more contagious and possibly more deadly. Vaccines may also be less effective against these variants, although authorities are adamant that vaccines still provide some level of protection.

Officials are hopeful the capacity to test for these variants grows in the coming weeks. "As a country, we have limited surveillance capabilities to understand (the variants)" because of the genomic sequencing required to detect them, Pennsylvania's Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said.