Minnesota reports first case of South African COVID-19 variant | Pine and Lakes Echo Journal
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Minnesota reports first case of South African COVID-19 variant
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Individual who recently travelled internationally may have exposed patient to the virus. Written By: Matthew Guerry | ×
A coronavirus graphic.
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ST. PAUL State health authorities on Thursday, March 11, identified the first person in Minnesota known to have contracted a more contagious variant of COVID-19 that was initially discovered in South Africa.
The infected individual is in their 40s and resides in the Twin Cities area, according to a State Department of Health news release. The individual has not been hospitalized but their situation is being monitored by health officials.
The variant, officially known as B.1.3.5.1, is believed to be more transmissible than the common strain of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Thursday s announcement makes Minnesota the 22nd state to have identified an instance of the variant, which nationally has afflicted 91 people.