First Two Cases of South African Strain Detected in the US

South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) on Thursday confirmed the first U.S. cases of a coronavirus variant (B.1.351) that recently emerged in South Africa.

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There is no known travel history and no connection between these two cases. Both cases are adults, with one from the Lowcountry and the other from the Pee Dee region.

"Experts agree that existing vaccines work to protect us from this variant, even if we don't know precisely how effective they are. At this time, there's no evidence to suggest that the B.1.351 variant causes more severe illness," DHEC said.

"The arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 variant in our state is an important reminder to all South Carolinians that the fight against this deadly virus is far from over," said DHEC Interim Public Health Director Brannon Traxler.

Earlier this week, the first U.S. case of a coronavirus variant discovered in Brazil was confirmed in Minnesota. The case was identified in a Minnesota resident who had recently traveled to Brazil.

Another strain, first discovered in Britain, has been detected in more than 20 U.S. states, according to data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 315 infected cases have been reported across the country as of Wednesday.

The United States has recorded more than 25.68 million COVID-19 cases with over 431,100 related deaths as of Thursday afternoon.