First US Case of South Africa COVID-19 Strain Found in South Carolina

Several new, mutated strains of the coronavirus have made their way to the United States. The latest is a strain of COVID-19 that was first identified in South Africa; two positive cases have been found in South Carolina. These two people are unrelated and live in different parts of the state, with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control revealing that these were the first confirmed cases in the country.

The two infected people do not have a recent travel history, so it is likely that they contracted it from someone else in the United States. "The arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in our state is an important reminder to all South Carolinians that the fight against this deadly virus is far from over," Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Interim Public Health Director, said in a statement. "While more COVID-19 vaccines are on the way, supplies are still limited. Every one of us must recommit to the fight by recognizing that we are all on the front lines now. We are all in this together."

Earlier in the week, a COVID-19 strain from the United Kingdom, called B.1.1.7, was identified in North Carolina. "I'm not surprised we've been saying for a while that we suspect that it is here, it was really just a matter of time till we had it detected in North Carolina," NCDHHS Epidemiologist, Zack Moore said. "This virus might become the predominant or the major virus in this country by March and that could lead to an increase in cases at a time when we predicted cases should be going down."

With these new mutated strains becoming more common, many are worried about the effectiveness of the current vaccine. However, Moderna says that their COVID-19 vaccine is effective against both of these mutant strains. Still, the CDC recommends that the public starts double masking in order to protect themselves. "If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective, and that's the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95," explained Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. A surgical mask under a cloth mask provides 91% removal efficiency for particles, so mask up, social distance, and stay safe.