A Central Florida college student has the more contagious UK COVID variant, school says
A student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando has the more contagious COVID-19 variant that was first identified in the United Kingdom and has since moved into the state.
“It’s time to double-down and Armor up,” the university wrote on Twitter Thursday night. “The UK COVID-19 variant has a strong foothold in Florida. This week, we learned that this strain is on our campus, with a report of one student case.”
The B.1.1.7 variant of the COVID virus, or the ‘”UK variant,” is believed to be more contagious and slightly deadlier. It is forecast to become the predominant COVID strain in Florida by March. The state also has the most reported UK variant cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
UCF says it has enacted its standard contact tracing and isolation procedures.
Associate Vice President of UCF Student Health Services Dr. Michael Deichen also sent a message to the university community reminding everyone about the importance of masking up, particularly now that the CDC recommends double-masking, or wearing a mask that fits snugly and has multiple layers.
“While vaccines are proven effective against COVID-19 and the emerging variants, we also know that habitual mask-wearing, physical distancing and hand sanitizing also prevent the spread of the pandemic,” his email says. “The tools that we use to fight this variant are no different than the steps we have taken for nearly a year.”
What’s the deal with the UK variant of COVID-19?
The UK variant is one of several spin-offs of the COVID virus alarming the medical community. The mutated viruses have also pushed the Biden administration to consider imposing domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida, to try and stop the viruses from reversing the country’s pandemic progress.
Scientists worry the more infectious version of the virus could accelerate severe disease and deaths before public health officials get enough people vaccinated.
To better monitor for mutated versions of the virus, the CDC has partnered with private laboratories run by Helix, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp to get COVID virus samples throughout the country and examine them for genetic changes. Helix is also working with the Florida Department of Health to help find cases caused by the variant.
Researchers at UCF and the University of Florida have also been testing the virus for genetic changes. So is the University of Miami with Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade County’s public hospital network.
UCF learned about the student UK variant case from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County.
Miami Herald staff writer Ben Conarck contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 11:57 AM.
