Dallas County confirms its first case of more contagious coronavirus variant - The Dallas Morning News

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Dallas County on Saturday reported its first known case of the new, more contagious coronavirus variant. It’s the third known case in Texas.

The new strain, known as B.1.1.7., was confirmed in a man in his 20s who hadn’t traveled recently, according to the county.

The man was in stable condition and was to remain isolated until he was cleared by public health officials, County Judge Clay Jenkins said.

“The emergence of strain B.1.1.7, while inevitable given the mobility of the modern world and the fact that we are a major transportation hub, means that there is a strain that is 70% more contagious in our community, and it will grow quickly,” Jenkins said in a written statement. “If we don’t do all that we can now to renew our efforts to control spread, the new variant will cause an overrun of our hospitals and lengthen the time before we can beat COVID and return to our pre-COVID activities.”

Dallas County health officials were working to find and notify any close contacts of the man so that they could quarantine and prevent further spread, the county said.

In a study released Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected the new variant would become the dominant source of infection in the U.S. by March.

Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas County Health and Human Services director, urged residents to continue taking preventative and protective measures against the virus.

“We can assume there are more cases in our community due to the nature of this variant and how quickly it spreads,” Huang said in a written statement. “We must remain vigilant in our fight against this virus.”

The news of the new variant in Dallas County comes as hospitals across North Texas are already slammed by the current variant of the virus.

In the 24-hour period that ended Thursday, 1,140 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in Dallas County hospitals. During the same period, 518 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease. As of Thursday, there were 18 adult ICU beds available in Dallas County, according to data reported by the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

In Tarrant County, 1,488 people are hospitalized with the virus, according to Friday’s numbers on the county dashboard.

Earlier this month, a man in Harris County became the state’s first known case of B.1.1.7. Because the man hadn’t traveled recently, it’s believed that the variant is already freely circulating in the state, according to Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“Genetic variations are the norm among viruses, and it’s not surprising that it showed up here given how rapidly it spreads,” Hellerstedt said in a written statement. “This should make us all redouble our commitment to the infection prevention practices that we know work: masks any time you’re around people you don’t live with, social distancing, and personal and environmental hygiene.”

The variant is believed to have originated in the United Kingdom and has been reported to be more contagious than previous strains, though it doesn’t necessarily cause more severe COVID-19, according to Harris County.

In the U.S., the first confirmed case of the variant was reported reported Dec. 29 in Colorado. Since then, the strain has also been reported in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York and Pennsylvania.

Current approved COVID-19 vaccines are believed to be effective against the B.1.1.7 variant.

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