Highly transmissible B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant detected in Buncombe County

Press release from Buncombe County Government: 

On Tuesday, Feb. 9, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders provided a weekly COVID community update. As of Feb. 9:

–          There are 14,193 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Buncombe County since the pandemic’s start.

–          There have been 270 COVID-19-related deaths in our community.

–          The number of new cases per 100,000 per week has decreased significantly since the beginning of the New Year and is now 277 per 100,0000 per week, 33 percentage points lower than four weeks ago.

–          There are an average of 70 new cases per day, down from 98 per day last week.

–          The percent positivity also continues to decline and is 5.6 percent.

–          Hospitalizations in the region continue to decline with about 8 percent of area inpatient beds occupied with COVID-19 patients.
New strain identified in Buncombe County

While the overall metrics Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) monitors continue to trend in a more favorable direction, the B.1.1.7 variant, which originated in the United Kingdom, is circulating in our community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts random surveillance on COVID-19 test samples for potential variant strains for better understanding of what is currently circulating. Through surveillance systems, three cases with B.1.1.7 variant have been identified in Buncombe County. Twenty-one B.1.1.7 variant cases have been identified throughout North Carolina using the surveillance process.

Typical case investigation and contact tracing occurred at time of initial positive result for each case prior to the variant sequencing results and each of the cases has since been released from isolation. According to the CDC, the B.1.1.7 variant is a more highly transmissible strain of COVID-19. Early indications show that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (the same as those used in Buncombe County) are effective against this strain of the virus.

“This variant is spreading throughout the country and our state,” said Saunders. “We should expect to see more cases of variant in our community as transmission rates of COVID, while declining slightly, continue to indicate heavy community spread. It is important for our community to know that the same measures that are good at stopping the spread of initial novel coronavirus strain are just as good at stopping the spread of variants.”

Vaccine rollout

Since December 22, BCHHS has been vaccinating members of our community with help and support from Buncombe County Emergency Services and other partners. To date, BCHHS has administered 16,400 total vaccinations. About 80 percent of these are first doses and the remaining portion represents second doses. BCHHS is currently vaccinating individuals in phase 1 and 2 – healthcare workers and adults 65 and older, respectively.

Currently, BCHHS is receiving 1,950 first doses of vaccine each week and is scheduling about 2,000 appointments each week. While there has been an increase in Buncombe County’s weekly allocation from the state, vaccine supply remains very low.

If eligible for one of the vaccine groups, individuals can call 828-250-5000 or visit buncombeready.org to get on the waitlist. Buncombe County staff is currently calling individuals between numbers 6,000 and 8,000. Approximately 40,000 individuals remain on the wait list, and they are contacted in the order which they signed up. If individuals need to remove their name from the waitlist, please email ready@buncombecounty.org or call us at 828-250-5000.

Please continue to practice the 3Ws to stop transmission of COVID-19. It will take the vaccine and these important preventative measures to get our families back to a sense of normalcy. For more information about COVID-19, vaccine waitlists and COVID testing, go to www.buncombeready.org.