Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) - The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting a seventh case of the new B.1.1.7 variant has been detected in Clark County.
This case is a male in his 30s and a visitor to Clark County. The individual has been isolating and was not hospitalized. This case has not been linked to the previously reported cases.
The B.1.1.7 strain is thought to spread more easily but is not believed to cause more severe illness or increase the risk of death. The vaccines currently being used will still provide protection against the variants of the virus.
The first case was reported on January 25. The Clark County resident who tested positive was a woman in her 30s with no reported travel history. Five additional cases were reported on February 2. These five cases are all close contacts of the first case and included two females and three males. The two females are both under the age of 18. One of the males is an adult in his 30s, and the other two are both under the age of 18. All five of the patients have recovered, and none had reports of recent travel history.
Additional information about new COVID-19 variants is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html.