A more contagious strain of COVID-19 hasn’t been found in Alaska yet. But it could be lurking. – Anchorage Daily News

Alaska has yet to detect a new, highly contagious variant of the coronavirus, but that doesnt mean the strain isnt already here, state health officials said.

The new strain, which was originally identified in the United Kingdom, hadnt been detected in Alaska as of Saturday, according to state health officials.

Researchers estimate that the U.K. variant spreads about 50% more between people compared with the more common strain. That means someone infected with the variant has a higher likelihood of spreading it to someone else close by.

What does this mean in terms of mitigation strategies? state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin asked on a recent call with reporters. Basically, what it means is people just need to remain vigilant.

Just because officials havent identified new, emerging strains in Alaska yet doesnt mean that, for example, the U.K. strain is not here yet, McLaughlin said. It could be here; we just havent detected it yet.

Existing health practices mask-wearing, hand-washing and staying 6 feet from others are super important, he said. If the U.K. strain is circulating in Alaska and people forget to follow those measures or stop altogether, theres a much bigger chance that the virus could hop to someone else within range, he said.

Scientists dont think that the new strain can make someone sicker, but theres a ripple effect if greater transmission of the virus occurs within the community. More COVID-19 cases can drive up the number of people seeking medical care. That, in turn, can strain the health care system and lead to more deaths.

While its good that Alaskas COVID-19 cases have recently decreased compared with previous months, its still possible that the new variant could drive up those numbers once again, Lorne Carroll, a public health nurse in Homer, said recently.

We should all assume that these variants are circulating pretty broadly in the United States, Jayme Parker, chief of the section of public health labs, said last week.

The state of Alaska has been sequencing COVID-19 cases since March, which is a way to look for the new variants. But now, the state is trying to ramp up its search, Parker said. The state lab is trying to join forces with university scientists in Anchorage and Fairbanks in order to increase capacity.

The United Kingdom has sequenced around 5% to 6% of its cases, Parker said. Thats still fairly low, but the process is both expensive and laborious. In the U.S., there isnt as much visibility on which variants may be circulating here because less than half of 1% of cases have been sequenced.

But in Alaska, roughly 4% to 5% of cases have been sequenced, Parker said. That puts Alaska on par with the U.K.s sequencing efforts and more than four times ahead of what the country is doing nationally.

Lisa Smith, who oversees the sequencing department at the state virology lab in Fairbanks, said the specimens they sequence only come from state public health labs in Anchorage and Fairbanks which test roughly a third of all samples getting collected in the state. But, Smith said, even among those samples, they put an emphasis on choosing specimens from across Alaska, as a way to know whats circulating in different corners of the state.

Parker, with the state public health labs, emphasized that while scientists expect the coronavirus to continue producing new variants, the same strategies that worked originally to stop virus spread will continue to do so. Thats why its important, she said, to keep wearing masks, physically distancing and continue good hand washing.

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A more contagious strain of COVID-19 hasn't been found in Alaska yet. But it could be lurking. - Anchorage Daily News