The first case of the coronavirus variant that originated in Brazil has been detected in Massachusetts, health officials announced Tuesday.
A woman in her 30s who resides in Barnstable County has tested positive for the P.1 COVID-19 variant, according the Mass. Department of Public Health.
DPH says they were notified of her test results from genetic sequencing conducted through the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national surveillance system.
There is no information available on the woman’s illness or whether she has recently traveled.
She tested positive for COVID-19 in late February, the DPH said.
As of Tuesday, there have been 213 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, originally found in the United Kingdom, and 6 cases of the B.1.351, which originated in South Africa, reported in Massachusetts.
The B.1.1.7 variant is known to spread more easily and has caused a rapid surge of cases in the U.K., several other countries, and parts of the United States, according to the DPH.
Health officials say the best defense against variants of concern is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, social distancing, avoiding groups, staying home when you are sick, getting tested if you have symptoms or are identified as a close contact of someone with COVID, and getting vaccinated when it is your turn.
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