A San Diego woman has tested positive for a COVID-19 variant first identified in Brazil, reports County News Center.
The news was announced to the public by the County Health and Human Services Agency on Wednesday, March 24.
The woman, who is in her late 40s, had not been vaccinated and was not hospitalized. She went through genome sequencing on March 5 but the results were not available until 2-4 weeks later.
According to County News Center, she had no travel history and officials believe she was exposed to the variant by someone in the community.
Their investigation identified six close contacts outside of her household.
Another case of the Brazilian variant was detected in the area but the individual is not a San Diego County resident.
“San Diegans should not be alarmed. The COVID-19 vaccines currently available do offer some protection against most of the variants,” said County public health officer Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H. “People should continue taking the preventive measures that work against all variants of the novel coronavirus.”
County officials urge San Diegans to not let their guards down despite a loosening of restrictions.
More than ever, residents should continue to wear a mask, keep a safe distance from others, wash their hands, and get vaccinated when it's available to them.
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