State health officials say Minnesotans should ‘not let their guard down’ as more cases of UK variant detected

Alex Jokich

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The Minnesota Department of Health urged Minnesotans to ‘not let their guard down’ Monday as more cases of the highly contagious U.K. variant of COVID-19 have been detected in the state.

State health officials told 5 EYEWITNESS News they have identified an additional 22 cases of the variant known as B.1.1.7, bringing the state’s total to 40.

State Epidemiologist and MDH Medical Director Ruth Lynfield said that ‘is likely an undercount,’ since the state has only done whole genome sequencing on a limited number of specimens.

"Because this variant is associated with an increase in transmission, it is that much more important that Minnesotans follow prevention measures," Lynfield said.

A new report compiled by British scientists found the variant is not only more transmissible but also may also be deadlier than the original strain.

This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the globe.[AP/ NIAID-RML]

The findings from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group published Friday concluded the U.K variant is ‘likely associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death’ although it noted ‘the absolute risk of death per infection remains low.’

The preliminary data found the mutation may be 30% to 70% deadlier than other strains of COVID-19.

"I think we have to watch this very, very carefully," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials believe the number of cases of the U.K. variant can double every ten days and it will likely become the dominant strain in the United States by the end of March.

"Early data have demonstrated that it is around 40 to 50% more transmissible. Already, that means we’re likely to have more cases and more deaths from this," Walensky said.

The Minnesota Department of Health has said they are monitoring this variant, as there are concerns it could cause a spike in overall cases in our state the coming weeks.

"Without question, it’s spreading more efficiently across the population," said Dr. Mark Sannes, an infectious disease physician at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital and senior medical director for medical specialties across the HealthPartners system.

Sannes said hospital systems in Minnesota are prepared to respond accordingly if there is another surge in hospitalizations.

The state saw a spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths starting in late October but these metrics have returned to pre-surge levels in recent weeks.

"I think we are always ready for the potential for more patients, whether it’s one of these variants or we had a large exposure, like a super-spreader event," Sannes said. "While we would rather not handle those kinds of numbers again, I think we are ready for what comes next if it were to start heading in the wrong direction again."

Sannes said vaccinations will be key in helping to slow the spread of the virus, especially as new variants continue to circulate. He said the current decline in cases and deaths in Minnesota is encouraging but Minnesotans need to continue to take mitigation measures seriously.

"I think the level of concern that I have is around people getting comfortable with the steady decline we’re seeing right now. We need to make sure we’re staying vigilant and doing all of the little things that have gotten us to this point," Sannes said. "We’re at a point in the pandemic where, if we can keep the community spread to a minimum, keep getting our population vaccinated, we’re going to get to the other side of this. We just can’t let our guard down between now and then."