The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) continues to test COVID-19 specimens looking for new strains that may be more contagious or differ from earlier strains. The B1.1.7 variant, first detected in the U.K., has already reached the U.S. mainland.
The Hawai‘i State Laboratories Division (SLD) began its molecular surveillance in June and to date has performed genome sequencing on nearly 700 samples of viral RNA. Neither B1.1.7 nor B.1.351 has been found in Hawai‘i, but that does not mean they are not here or will not arrive in the future.
The CDC has personnel in Hawai‘i to support investigation of viral variants should they be found.
“There is no evidence these variants cause more severe illness or increase the risk of death, but research shows they spread much faster than the COVID-19 already found in Hawai‘i,” said Dr. Libby Char, director of the Hawai’i Department of Health. “These new strains remind us how important it is to avoid large gatherings, wear masks, and practice physical distancing.
