JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) confirmed Tuesday a Missouri resident has had a case of the South African variant of COVID-19.
DHSS said the variant, B.1.351, was identified in a sample from an adult living in Jackson County. The variant was determined through the whole genome sequencing conducted through a commercial laboratory.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is showing, as of April 5, 374 cases have been reported to the CDC in the United States.
At least 34 states have reported cases of this variant so far.
DHSS said as of now, the variant is not known to be more serious than other strains. However, this strain can reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines.
Another concerning variant, the UK variant, was first identified in Missouri in Feb. 2021. There are currently 35 cases in the state.
