1st Case Of COVID-19 UK Variant Detected In DuPage County

DUPAGE COUNTY, IL — The DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) has confirmed the county's first case of a coronavirus variant that was initially found in the United Kingdom. The B.1.17 variant is thought to spread more readily and rapidly than other variants of coronavirus, but it is as-yet undetermined whether the variant is more deadly.

This new case comes as the county struggles with a limited supply of coronavirus vaccine doses.

Related: DuPage County Declines To Expand COVID-19 Vaccinations Feb. 25

"Given these emerging variants alongside ongoing vaccination efforts, supply remains the single greatest challenge in not being able to swiftly vaccinate more people in DuPage County. We, too, are frustrated with the insufficient and unpredictable supply our County is receiving. Particularly, since we have established a strong network of community partners with the capacity to currently vaccinate at least 50,000 people per week, yet we are receiving 5 percent of this capacity next week," DuPage County Health Department Executive Director Karen Ayala said in a statement.

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As of Thursday, 42 cases of the B.1.17 variant have been confirmed throughout Illinois, according to Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The state's first case of the variant was detected in mid-January, shortly after the country's first case of the variant was identified in Colorado.

Nationwide, there have been 1,523 cases of B.1.17 reported throughout 42 states as of press time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, it appears that the current coronavirus vaccines are effective against this newer variant, according to Illinois public health officials.