UPDATED UK COVID-19 variant detected in Siouxland

 SIOUX CITY -- Two local health departments in Siouxland have reported cases of the coronavirus variant first detected within the UK.

Someone living in Cedar, Dixon, Wayne, or Thurston counties has been infected with the U.K. variant, the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department said during a statement released Monday. Also, Tyler Brock of the Siouxland District Health Department confirmed in an email to The Journal that a Woodbury County case of an equivalent variant was reported at the start of March.

The U.K. variant, referred to as B.1.1.7, has proven to be more infectious and causes more severe illness than the first COVID-19 virus.

According to the NNPHD, as more people become ill with this new variant, there'll likely be more severe cases and subsequently more hospitalizations and deaths.

"The presence of a viral variant within the local population provides a robust reminder of the importance for every folk to use every possible intervention we've available to slow the spread of the virus. These interventions include wearing a mask, keeping a 6-foot distance, washing your hands well and sometimes, and getting vaccinated when the vaccine is obtainable to you. it's also extremely important that folks still stay home and faraway from others if they need any of the COVID-19 symptoms and obtain tested," the NNPHD statement said. 

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As of Thursday, 25 total cases of the U.K. variant had been detected in Iowa, seven in Nebraska, and two in South Dakota, consistent with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of the South Africa and Brazil variants haven't been detected in any of these states, so far. just like the U.K. variant, the South Africa and Brazil variants spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which can cause more cases of COVID-19, consistent with the CDC.

No COVID-19-related deaths were reported by any Siouxland counties on Monday. 

According to Siouxland District Health, Woodbury County added 16 new cases of the virus Monday, bringing its case total to 14,066. Iowa Department of Public Health statistics showed Woodbury County had 15,296 total positive tests as of Monday evening. 

District Health reported that 20 patients with the novel coronavirus were hospitalized at either MercyOne Siouxland center or UnityPoint Health -- St. Luke's, up to 2 from Sunday.

Of those patients, 12 were hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19. Another eight people within the hospital had the virus but were hospitalized for other reasons. Of the entire, eight were Woodbury County residents.

As of Monday afternoon, 9,157 people in Woodbury County had received both shots of a two-dose vaccine, while another 595 had received a single-dose vaccine, consistent with state statistics. That's just over 9 percent of the county's population.

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