HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Connecticut has detected the state's first known case of the "South African" COVID-19 variant in a Fairfield County resident, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Monday.
The B.1.351 variant of the COVID-19 virus was detected in a currently hospitalized patient between the ages of 60 and 70, according to DPH officials.
The patient is being treated at a New York City hospital, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday, after New York Public Health officials reported the variant this weekend. DPH and local health officials are coordinating with officials in New York.
Contact tracing has been completed, DPH officials said, and the patient has not traveled recently.
The patient's condition is improving, officials said.
According to the CDC, the B.1.351 variant was first detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa in early October 2020 and later in the United States at the end of January 2021.
DPH officials said in a statement, "Like the B.1.1.7 variant, the B.1.351 variant is more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus."
However, the CDC reports that there is currently "no evidence to suggest that this variant has any impact on disease severity."
Governor Ned Lamont said seeing another variant in Connecticut is another reminder of the severity of the pandemic.
"The virus does not recognize state boundaries, and it certainly does not recognize international borders, which means the responsibility is on all of us to do what we can on a personal basis to mitigate the spread," Lamont said.
Acting DPH Commissioner Dr. Deidre Gifford asks residents to follow CDC and public health guidance as effectively as possible.
"Masks should always cover the nose and mouth completely," Gifford said, "In some instances, a cloth mask along with a surgical mask may be the best approach according to the CDC, in order to prevent droplets from escaping or entering through gaps in masks."
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