India COVID-19 'Double Mutant' Variant Found In Memphis

Tennessee officials on Thursday confirmed that an individual from the most populated county in the state has tested positive of the newfound India variant of COVID-19.

Dubbed as a “double mutant” variant of a novel coronavirus, the strain has been labeled the B1617 variant by the World Health Organization. The new strain contains mutations from two separate variants (E484Q and L452R), and is largely considered responsible for the unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases in India, the Business Standard reported.

The Memphis-Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force confirmed that the individual had a recent travel history to India. He was tested upon arrival back in the U.S. after exhibiting flu-like symptoms, WMC Action News 5 noted. The patient has been isolated and is under observation, with his close contacts being required to quarantine and be tested.

Chief of epidemiology for Shelby County David Sweat, in a task force press briefing, stressed the need for strict testing to maintain public health and sufficiently monitor the potential arrival of new strains of COVID-19 into the county. He confirmed that so far none of the first individual’s contacts have tested positive for the new variant.

The most populous county in Tennessee, Shelby, reported 175 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, marking 23 days of over 100 new reported daily cases. As of April 29th, it has accounted for 95,262 COVID-19 cases and at least 1,617 deaths related to the virus.

Shelby is underway in its mass vaccination rollout, already achieving 44% of its initial goal of vaccinating upwards of 700,000 residents. The county now has 1,577 active cases with 23% of the area’s population considered fully vaccinated.

The Tennessee Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 1,092 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths to hike up the state’s overall total to 846,472. Tennessee’s total COVID-19 death toll is now at 12,188.

In related news, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin assured CNBC that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine remains viable and effective against the new India strain, as the German pharmaceutical company has tested their vaccine on mutated strains similar to B1617.