MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Health Department said Tuesday a possible first local case of the highly contagious, U.K. variant strain of COVID-19 has emerged.
David Sweat with the Shelby County Health Department described the test sample - discovered Monday night in a lab - as "highly suspicious" with the "genetic markers that may be" confirmation of the strain.
"I emphasize that this is a possible it is not confirmed but it is under investigation today," Sweat said.
Those with the Shelby County Health Department said they've activated an aggressive contact tracing plan of the patient's recent interactions with others and looked at his or her medical records.
The sample will be sent to the Centers For Disease Control for confirmation of whether the sample is the U.K. variant strain.
Sweat said Tuesday area labs can detect different COVID-19 variant strains in different ways, including newer, more advanced testing machines.
"Any samples that are run through that machine, if it looks somewhat unusual, those are also, in addition to the random sampling, they are sent for sequencing," Sweat said.
With this potential strain detected locally, health experts in Shelby County reminded the public that the ongoing, existing preventative measures remain as important as ever.
"First line of defense is wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing, that's what we've been saying all along," Sweat said.
Dr. Bruce Randolph, the Shelby County Health Officer, said he will wait a week or so and if the strain is confirmed, it could lead to revisions in the current health directive, which took effect in late January.