The first case of the P-1 variant, which is spreading rapidly in Brazil, has been found in the Bay Area.
Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the COVID-19 testing and vaccine officer for Santa Clara County, says they discovered the case in a random sampling of positive tests.
“That person was tested in mid-March after returning from an out of state domestic travel.”
He said this is a major reason why traveling is still strongly discouraged.
"Going out into the other parts of this country or parts of the globe, there is a chance of getting exposed and perhaps bringing back one of those variants that we already have here or others that are circulating."
This is the sixth case of the P-1 variant found in California. All of the cases have been found in the last 10 days, with four in Southern California and one in El Dorado County near Sacramento.
The P-1 variant is of particular concern because it is believed to be more resistant to antibodies and has fueled a major surge in Brazil. It is believed to be the cause of several cases of re-infection that have been recorded in Brazil.
Experts said that while this variant is more resistant, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines still provide protection against it.
There have been more cases of the variant in the U.S., although the overall numbers are still low. The CDC has recorded 79 cases in 19 states.
Stanford researchers had previously found one case of another variant from Brazil, the P-2 variant, in the Bay Area earlier this year. Less is known about the P-2 variant.
Dr. Fenstersheib said variants are another reason why people should still exercise common sense and not completely drop their guard even as case numbers drop and vaccinations increase.
"It’s really important that we don’t give that virus a chance to continue to mutate itself, to continue to multiply itself. And by doing all of the preventative measures, wearing your mask - that’s why we’re saying to do that. We don’t want any more variants. We want to make sure that our vaccines that we have and are utilizing are effective."
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