First Case Of South Africa COVID-19 Variant Identified in NoVA

VIRGINIA — The first case of the coronavirus variant originally detected in South Africa has been identified in Northern Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The adult resident who tested positive for the variant had no history of travel during the exposure period.

The variant, officially called SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351, is associated with increased person-to-person transmission of COVID-19. But there is no evidence at this time that infections with this variant cause more severe disease, according to the VDH.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified Virginia health officials that the South Africa-related variant had been identified in a resident of Northern Virginia whose coronavirus test was processed at a commercial laboratory.

Virginia now has identified 20 cases of the South Africa variant across the state and 49 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom. To date, the South Africa variant has been identified in 20 other U.S. states or jurisdictions.

Unlike the South Africa variant, the highly contagious U.K. variant is associated with a 64 percent higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than earlier strains, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.

The U.K. variant is becoming the dominant strain of the coronavirus in many parts of the world. The CDC has predicted the U.K. variant could become the dominant strain in the United States by the end of March.

SEE ALSO: How To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Virginia

Meanwhile, the University of Virginia men's basketball team was forced to drop out of the ACC tournament following a positive COVID-19 test within the program, the ACC announced Friday morning.

The Cavaliers were scheduled to play Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament semifinals Friday evening in Greensboro, North Carolina, after defeating Syracuse in the quarterfinals. Georgia Tech will now automatically advance to the ACC championship game Saturday against Florida State or North Carolina.

COVID-19 Data

On Friday, the state health department reported 1,589 new coronavirus cases. Northern Virginia reported 370 new cases.

The seven-day case average peaked at 6,166 on Jan. 18. Since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed on March 7, 2020, 592,214 cases have been recorded in Virginia. There were 59 new deaths reported on Friday, bringing the cumulative death toll to 9,961.

Current hospitalizations stand at 1,127 statewide. The number includes 228 in intensive care units and 134 on ventilators. Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 30 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 80 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

The seven-day average of positive PCR tests stands at 5.5 percent statewide as of March 8, down from a peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. An average of 19,068 daily PCR testing encounters were reported statewide on March 7, down from a peak of 35,030 on Jan. 14.

As of Friday, 2,557,478 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia, according to the state Department of Health.

Across Virginia, 1,664,823 people have received at least one dose (19.5 percent of the population) and 945,336 people are fully vaccinated (11.1 percent of the population). A total of 54,747 vaccines are being administered per day in Virginia, as of Friday.

Local health departments lead the state with 811,922 total doses given, followed by hospitals with 676,588 total doses, medical practices with 331,538, long-term care facilities with 287,346, community health providers with 239,651 and pharmacies with 210,363.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Thursday to Friday:

• Alexandria: 10,529 cases, 518 hospitalizations, 127 deaths; increase of 25 cases
• Arlington County: 13,559 cases, 781 hospitalizations, 242 deaths; increase of 33 cases and two deaths
• Fairfax County: 68,346 cases, 3,577 hospitalizations, 1,031 deaths; increase of 138 cases, six hospitalizations and four deaths
• Fairfax City: 503 cases, 40 hospitalizations, 16 deaths; increase of two cases and one hospitalization
• Falls Church: 364 cases, 20 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of three cases
• Loudoun County: 23,782 cases, 900 hospitalizations, 264 deaths; increase of 74 cases, six hospitalizations and two deaths
• Manassas: 4,060 cases, 164 hospitalizations, 42 deaths; increase of three cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas Park: 1,134 cases, 66 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 40,264 cases, 1,471 hospitalizations, 465 deaths; increase of 92 cases, 13 hospitalizations and six deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,814 cases, 93 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of two cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,540 cases, 286 hospitalizations, 104 deaths; increase of 21 cases and two hospitalizations
• Stafford County: 9,778 cases, 333 hospitalizations, 69 deaths; increase of 24 cases

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