MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The U.K. strain of COVID-19, which is being referred to as B.1.1.7, is a much stronger mutation of the strain we've been battling. It has been detected in communities nationwide and is believed to now be in Shelby County.
Dr. Jeff Warren, a member of Memphis and Shelby County's COVID-19 Task Force, said health officials believe a local person could have been infected with this mutation and are investigating if it's bloomed in the area. Officials are still waiting for confirmation from the CDC about whether that individual had that strain.
"The problem with this B.1.1.7 strain is it’s 1.5 times more infectious than the current strain we have," Warren said.
The infection rate in Shelby County has been going down over the last few weeks, but if this latest strain spreads, cases could climb.
"If you’re 1.5 times more infectious, that would take our 0.8 R-naught which is 'going away' R-naught and put it into a climbing R-naught again," Warren said.
The CDC reported this could become the dominant strain in the US by March. Warren said a peak in cases of this mutation can be avoided if medical experts and the public does all it can to minimize the spread.
"If you could slow that further down the road and allow more and more people to get vaccinated, that’s going to lower the trajectory of the peak and lower the height of the peak," Warren said.
If this does become the dominant strain in Shelby County, Warren said to wear two masks for extra protection.
"It’s so important that we get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we can," Warren said. "It’s also important, if you’re going to the grocery store or the drug store or someplace where you’re going to be around people where it’s crowded, double mask."
The CDC also reported it's looking into how this variant could affect the effectiveness of the vaccine.