Benton County has identified their first case of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
The Benton-Franklin Health District did not specify if the person who contracted the variant traveled recently.
“While there is cause for concern, there is no need for alarm,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton, Franklin and Klickitat counties. “Because of the intense resources required to identify variants, only a portion of collected samples are sent for genotyping,” she continued. “Although we do have confirmation the variant is in the community, the identification of the B.1.1.7. variant in a specimen indicates a local presence, but not the local prevalence.”
Washington State conducts sequencing for the variant on less than 3% of positive cases.
Evidence shows the UK variant is more contagious but there is no evidence of it being more deadly.
Health officials continue to stress wearing masks and being socially distant to prevent the spread.
