Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) – The Southern Nevada Health District has identified the first known case of the B.1.617.2 variant in Clark County. The B.1.617.2 variant was first identified in India and is considered a variant of concern. The variant was detected locally in a sample tested by the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory. The public health laboratory conducts sequencing as part of ongoing surveillance efforts to detect variants that may be circulating in Clark County.
The Clark County resident who tested positive for the B.1.617.2 variant is a woman in her 20s. She did not report any recent travel, was not hospitalized, and has not received the COVID-19 vaccine. A contact investigation is being conducted.
“We have made tremendous steps in our efforts to stop the pandemic in our community,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer for the Southern Nevada Health District. “However, the identification of another COVID-19 variant is a reminder that while many of us are fully vaccinated and enjoying activities with family and friends again, the pandemic isn’t over, and we must continue to take steps to protect ourselves and other people.”
New variants of the virus that cause COVID-19 are spreading in the United States. Current data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for use offer protection against most variants.
To date in Clark County the following variants have been detected: 242 cases of the B.1.1.7; five cases of B.1351; five cases of B.1.429; and 28 cases of P.1.