New COVID Strain

Nevada State Public Health Laboratory detects New B.1.1.7 COVID-19 strain in Nevada

The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL) at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) characterized the first known Nevada case of the new B.1.1.7 coronavirus strain in January. The new strain was detected in a sample that was initially tested in the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory (SNPHL). The B.1.1.7 strain first emerged in the U.K. in fall 2020 and has become highly prevalent in certain geographical regions according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since December 2020, several other countries, Canada and the United States among them, have reported cases of the virus variant. The variant is listed among others variants found in the U.K. and South Africa that have been identified in parts of the U.S. The specimen was collected during routine community collection activities and tested by SNPHL to determine if it was positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. During testing, it was discovered the specimen was showing characteristics of the variant. It was then sent to NSPHL for sequencing and confirmation. The NSPHL sequenced the specimen and analyzed the data that detected the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 in Nevada on Jan. 22. Nevada State Public Health Laboratory Director Mark Pandori, Ph.D. said the lab detected the case as part of its B.1.1.7 strain testing program found in a specimen from a symptomatic woman in her 30s, with an address in Las Vegas. Dr. Pandori says this strain is more contagious, but it is not yet known whether the variant causes a more severe illness than the reference COVID-19 strain. “It is copying itself a lot right now, which can lead to mutating," says Pandori. "The more a virus spreads in a community, the more opportunities it has to make mistakes when it copies itself. This leads to what we see here and it's a very natural part of viral evolution.” The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory has been analyzing positive COVID-19 virus samples for the B.1.1.7 strain since mid-December 2020 through whole genome sequencing. The lab is currently working on surveilling as many positive COVID (Lab page 8)

775-323-7189 waltonsfuneralhomes.com

Lab / page 7 19 cases as it can for the new B.1.1.7 strain, first found in Britain and since seen in more than 46 countries and 24 U.S. states. Health officials in South Carolina have detected two cases of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus that emerged in South Africa. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said it had identified one case on January 27, and was notified of a second case the same day by the CDC. The variant, known as B.1.351, was originally identified in South Africa and has since been found in about 30 countries.

The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory is responsible for COVID-19 testing and whole genome sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in Nevada. Photo by Brin Reynolds/UNR Med. The U.S. has reported its first known case of the COVID-19 P.1 variant first detected in Brazil. The P.1 variant was reported to be detected in a Minnesota resident with recent travel history to Brazil. While the two coronavirus vaccines now in use in the U.S., developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, appear to be protective against the new variants, they may be somewhat less effective against the one found in South Africa. Moderna has begun developing a new form of its vaccine that could be used as a booster shot against the variant in South Africa. The new variants are also believed to spread more readily than other versions of the virus, and the one found in Britain may lead to more severe disease. While research and scientific advancements continue to build, Pandori says residents continuing to follow the recommended guidelines of staying home when you can, wearing facial coverings, frequent and proper hand-washing, social distancing, as well as wide-scale testing, contact tracing, and isolation of new cases is among the effective ways we can fight the virus and its variants. The State of Nevada is receiving limited doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government each week and now part of the allocation will be provided to pharmacies that have agreed to assist in the vaccine distribution process. Multiple pharmacies have joined in this effort. Information on county-by-county pharmacy participation and information on how to make an appointment will be available on NVCOVIDFighter.org. If additional assistance is needed call 855-668-5465. For more details visit NVCOVIDFighter.org at ImmunizeNevada.org for a list of participating pharmacies statewide.