© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Coronavirus Strain Commonly Called 'Brazil Variant' Confirmed In Oklahoma

NIAID-RML

While experts have suspected the presence of coronavirus variants in Oklahoma for several weeks, one has now been confirmed.

A woman with a history of travel tested positive for the P.1 variant of the virus, commonly referred to as the Brazil variant, State Epidemiologist Dr. Jared Taylor said Friday. Reports indicate it may be more transmissible and better able to dodge antibodies, meaning it can reinfect COVID survivors and make vaccines somewhat less effective.

The P.1 variant is believed to be behind a devastating recent COVID surge in Manaus, Brazil.

Taylor said exposure was limited to two members of her household, who also fell ill, but that doesn’t mean the state has the new variant contained.

"It’s just one illustration of the ways that we know that these things can enter into the state. We are open for business. We constantly have people traveling from other states into Oklahoma, from Oklahoma out and back in again. And so, we really ought to operate on the assumption that they are present and circulating," Taylor said.

Experts have suspected for weeks the presence of the B.1.1.7 or U.K. variant of the coronavirus in Oklahoma. A research lab detected genetic markers of the U.K. variant in a sample from Oklahoma, but it still has not been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control, like the P.1 variant has. Some epidemiologists predict the U.K. variant, which is more transmissible and potentially more deadly, will be the dominant strain in the U.S. by the spring. 

Taylor was asked if, in his opinion, additional public health restrictions may be necessary to limit spread of the P.1 variant confirmed or the B.1.1.7 variant suspected to be in Oklahoma. He said his role is to give the best available information to policymakers in order for them to decide but added strict adherence to current recommendations like wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings could work.

"We’re not going to need to reinvent anything in order to tackle it. It’s going to be very subject to the same mitigation steps as we’ve had success in at times in Oklahoma and which we’ve failed at, at times in Oklahoma," Taylor said.

OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler said Friday the state's vaccination efforts are essentially in a race with the emergence of coronavirus variants.

"If it spreads easier, you'll have more cases, and we know that if you have more cases, you'll have more people end up in the hospital and eventually, more people will die," Bratzler said. "And then secondly ... at least preliminary research from the U.K. suggests [the B.1.1.7] variant is more deadly than some of the other strains that have been circulating. And so, we could see more deaths."

Taylor said the state is also looking to ramp up its work to sequence coronavirus strains as part of a strategy to track them. The U.S. as a whole is sequencing 0.01% of its coronavirus cases, 30th in the world.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
Related Content