COVID-19 variant strain detected in King County test sample, health officials say

KING COUNTY, Wash. - A new COVID-19 variant, first detected in the U.K. and recently found in Snohomish and Pierce County, has been detected in a King County test sample, health officials announced Friday. 

Public Health--Seattle & King County announced the discovery in a blog post, saying the University of Washington Medicine notified the health department of the B117 strain detected in a test sample originating from King County. 

The COVID-19 variant, known as B117, was previously found in Snohomish and Pierce County.

Health officials say the variant strain spreads similarly to COVID-19, just quicker and more contagious. The CDC says the new variant, B117, will likely become the predominant strain by March.

"This virus has been working out. It’s gotten faster and more fit. And we need to fight smarter and harder to beat it," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County.

"We should expect the variant strains to become widespread here, and that will make the outbreak harder for us to control. But we have the advantage of early warning to help us prepare."

King County public health officials said the appearance of the B117 variant is "a wakeup call." They encourage the public to continue with safety measures including wearing a face mask, social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings. 

No further details about the detected sample were released by the public health officials as of Friday.

Viruses constantly mutate, and coronavirus variants are circulating around the globe. Scientists are primarily concerned with three variants, the one from the U.K., one from South Africa and one from Brazil that researchers believe may spread more easily. All have been confirmed in the U.S.

The new coronavirus variant was first identified in England and recently found in Snohomish and Pierce counties has been detected in a King County test sample, health officials in Washington state said.

The first strain of the UK variant was detected in Washington state in Snohomish County last week. Two samples were discovered by UW Medicine, and shortly after, Pierce County health officials have confirmed its first case of a coronavirus variant in an existing COVID-19 case.

As of Friday morning, the U.K. variant had been detected in 24 states including Oregon in the Pacific Northwest.

The state Department of Health reported 2,048 new coronavirus cases and 42 new deaths on Friday. Officials said the new cases may include up to 670 duplicates.

The update brings Washington state’s case totals to more than 309,000 and 4,285 deaths.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.