First case of South African coronavirus variant found in Northern Virginia

The South African strand of the coronavirus is spreading in Virginia.

On Thursday, the Virginia Dept. of Health announced the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351 out of South Africa has been found in Northern Virginia.

The case was identified in a sample from an adult Northern Virginia resident who had no history of travel during their exposure periods.

Virginia has now identified 20 cases of the South African variant.

The map below shows precisely how VDH defines the Northern region:

[Where are Virginia’s coronavirus cases? The health department’s interactive map]

The B.1.351 variant first emerged in South Africa late last year.

VDH says that this strain is associated with increased person-to-person transmission of COVID-19.

As of Thursday, 21 total states are reporting a total of 91 cases of this strain, according to the CDC.