Staff Contact: Keri Barclay
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported the first identification of a Missouri resident with the B.1.351 COVID-19 variant, also commonly known as the South African variant. The variant was identified in a sample from an adult living in Jackson County and was determined through the whole genome sequencing conducted through a commercial laboratory. Currently, this variant is not known to cause more severe disease, and it is not clear whether it spreads more readily than other strains.