COVID-19 Variants and Understaffed Nursing Homes

The public has been informed of several new variants of the coronavirus for some time, including some of the more known viruses circulating, such as the UK variant, the Brazil variant, or the South Africa variant. But on Mar. 16, 2021, a recent outbreak of COVID-19 involving 41 cases at a nursing home in Eastern Kentucky could be what health officials say was triggered by an entirely new strain. The outbreak involved 14 staff and 27 residents, with several testing positive for the new variant. Health officials in Kentucky say those nursing home residents and staff who have contracted the virus and have been fully vaccinated have not gotten seriously ill and have significantly reduced symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says viruses constantly change through mutation, and “new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Sometimes new variants emerge and disappear.” At other times, new variants emerge and persist and can be just as dangerous as the initial strain.

Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States during this pandemic.

• The United Kingdom (UK) identified a variant called B.1.1.7 with many mutations in the fall of 2020. This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. This variant was first detected in the US at the end of Dec. 2020.
• In South Africa, another variant called B.1.351 emerged independently of B.1.1.7. Detected initially in early Oct. 2020, B.1.351 shares some mutations with B.1.1.7. Cases caused by this variant have been reported in the US at the end of Jan. 2021.
• In Brazil, a variant called P.1 emerged that was first identified in travelers from Brazil. This variant contains a set of additional mutations that may affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies. This variant was first detected in the US at the end of Jan. 2021.

According to a report by Kentucky’s public health commissioner Dr. Steven Stack, the outbreak appears to have started when an unvaccinated person brought COVID-19 into the facility. The information has not been released on whether that person was a visitor or a staff member; however, only 48% of staff at the facility had gotten the vaccine.