What you should know
- New York officials reported that laboratories confirmed the first case of the South African variant of COVID-19 in the state. The tri-state area now has two known cases after a Connecticut resident tested positive last week.
- The variant was detected in a person living in Nassau County and was announced a week after the first case was found in the tri-state area in a Connecticut resident who was hospitalized in New York City.
- With the case of the new variant, as well as more than 150 confirmed cases in the tri-state area of variant B.1.1.7 that was first detected in the UK, health officials urge residents to continue to be alert and without lowering your guard.
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NEW YORK – New York confirmed the first state laboratory-confirmed case of the South African variant of COVID-19 in a Long Island resident, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday.
The variant was detected in a person living in Nassau County and was announced a week after the first case was found in the tri-state area in a Connecticut resident who was hospitalized in New York City. State and county officials did not provide additional details related to the traceback or potential exposure risk of the case in Nassau County.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran echoed the words of top health officials who say the variants are not believed to be more deadly than the original strain of the virus, but that they are more contagious.
“The best answer is to continue with the tried and true precautions: wear masks, avoid social gatherings, distance yourself, stay home and get tested when sick,” Curran said Sunday.
The B.1.351 strain of the virus was first detected in South Africa in October 2020 and was first reported in the United States in late January 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC, for its have said that preliminary evidence from non-peer-reviewed publications suggests that Moderna’s vaccine “may be less effective” against the South African variant. He has warned that more studies are needed.
The first case of variant B.1.351 in the tri-state area was found in a Fairfield County resident, age 60 to 70, who had not recently traveled. With the case of the new variant, as well as more than 150 confirmed cases in the tri-state area of variant B.1.1.7 that was first detected in the UK, health officials urge residents to continue to be alert and without lowering your guard.
“We are in a race right now, between our ability to vaccinate and these variants that are actively trying to proliferate, and we will only win that race if we stay smart and disciplined,” Cuomo said in a statement.
The three main variants of interest, the strains from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil, have expanded their reach in the US in recent weeks. The UK strain, which the CDC warned could be predominant in the United States next month, is by far the most prevalent to date, with more than 1,500 cases detected in 42 states.
New York has 82 of those cases, with 11 of the 12 newest reported last week coming from New York City. For its part, New Jersey has confirmed at least 50 cases of the UK strain and Connecticut has reported 42. However, no cases of the Brazilian variant have been recorded in the tri-state area.
The news of the detection of variants in New York comes as the numbers related to hospitalizations and positivity continue to decline after the increase in cases after the Christmas holidays. As of Sunday, Cuomo said the state’s single-day positivity fell below 3 percent.
The governor noted that 75 New Yorkers died from the virus on Saturday, the second day in a row that the state reported deaths below 100. The number of New Yorkers hospitalized from the virus has also decreased in recent weeks, down from 6,000 per first time since mid-December.
