John Locher/AP
Healthcare workers test patients in their car at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site run by the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine and the Nevada National Guard, Friday, July 10, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Monday, April 12, 2021 | 5:22 p.m.
The first known cases of the so-called Brazilian variant of COVID-19 have been detected in Clark County, the Southern Nevada Health District said Monday.
Three cases of the P.1 strain have emerged. The patients — men in their 20s, 30s and 40s — were not hospitalized and two of them had not been vaccinated. The third patient reported having one vaccine dose.
The health district said representatives have interviewed the patients and conducted contact tracing investigations to identify close contacts.
The P.1 strain has been confirmed in several states and is classified as a “variant of concern” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is thought to be more easily transmissible, but health officials say vaccines can help prevent more serious illness and reduce the risk of hospitalizations.
“It is not unexpected that we have identified the Brazilian P.1 strain in Clark County, and the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) strain has already been found here,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District, in a statement. “The variants are a reminder that we must continue to be vigilant about preventing the spread of COVID-19 by taking all of the steps we have been talking about for a year like wearing masks in public and when around others, getting tested, staying home if you are sick, and, now, getting vaccinated.”
More than 100 cases of the United Kingdom strain have been identified so far in Nevada, according to the CDC. Another COVID-19 variant that originated in South Africa was confirmed in Nevada, in Washoe County, in mid-February.
Dr. Mark Riddle, an associate dean at the UNR School of Medicine, said during a conference call with reporters Monday that breakthrough cases — COVID-19 infection in vaccinated people — are not unexpected, as none of the vaccines are 100% effective. But those cases are generally less severe, and it will be important to see whether there are certain sub-groups, such as immunocompromised patients, or certain viral variants that are more associated with breakthrough cases.
“These variants or these viral mutants that are emerging around the globe, they may emerge or evolve to a point where they evade the immune response,” Riddle said. “There’s some evidence in some of the studies that took place in Brazil and South Africa where ... the (vaccine) efficacy was slightly lower, although still very good against severe and critical disease.”
That means the way out of the pandemic, even with variants popping up, is still widespread vaccination.
“We need to prevent the (virus) from spreading because the more it spreads, the more it has a chance for these variants to emerge and evolve and take root,” Riddle said.
