UK variant shows up in Benton County
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 11th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
KENNEWICK – The Benton Franklin Health District reports that the first identified COVID-19 variant from the United Kingdom has been found in Eastern Washington. The B.1.1.7 variant is known to be more contagious than the strain that has spread across the state over the last year, however it is not known yet if it is more deadly.
There are a total of a little more than 70 cases of the UK variant in the state and five cases of a variant first identified in South Africa. Those South African variants were only found in King County.
Not every COVID-19 test is checked for variants. Washington genotypes under three percent of its tests that are returned as positive. That is higher than many states. Genotyping is a much more involved test, which limits how many samples have been checked.
Benton Franklin Health District officials say the three available COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the UK variant.
The same precautions taken to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus in its original form work in containing the variants as well. Those include wearing masks, frequent handwashing, social distancing, and decreasing the time spent with people from other households.
