Three New Cases Of COVID-19 Variant Found In Wisconsin: DHS

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, WI —The state Department of Health Services announced three more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 have been found in Wisconsin.

A case of the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 was discovered in Milwaukee County. Milwaukee County health officials discussed the variant during the Health Department's Tuesday briefing.

Milwaukee Health Department Interim Commissioner Marlaina Jackson said the variant was detected and reported on Jan. 28.

"We have to continue to be mindful and aware of new variants that are out there," Jackson said.

The first case was found in Eau Claire County in January and a second case was found in Waukesha County on Feb. 9.

The United Kingdom (UK) identified a variant called B.1.1.7 with a large number of mutations in the fall of 2020. This variant was first detected in the US at the end of December 2020.
Researches believe the new strain is more contagious than the original strain of COVID-19.

In Wisconsin, both cases of the strain were identified through ongoing surveillance and whole genome sequencing, a routine practice since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. All viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19, change through mutation, and new variants of the virus are expected to occur over time.

The Center for Disease Control warned that the U.K. variant is doubling in the U.S. nearly every 10 days, according to a recent study.

But the true picture of the problem in the U.S. is not clear because of the relatively low level of sequencing, according to experts.

So far, studies suggest that antibodies generated through vaccination with currently authorized vaccines recognize these variants, according to the CDC website said.