RICHMOND, Va. – The VDH announced Monday that the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351, which was first identified in South Africa in late 2020, has been identified in the Central region of Virginia.
VDH says the variant was found in a sample from an adult resident of the Central Region of Virginia who had no history of travel during the exposure period.
Health officials say at this time, there is no evidence that infections with this variant cause more severe disease. As of today, the B.1.351 variant has been identified in 19 other U.S. states or jurisdictions.
Virginia now has identified a total of 11 cases of the B.1.351 variant and 31 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom.
For more information about COVID-19 variants, visit the VDH COVID-19 Testing website and the CDC New COVID-19 Variants website.