A Nueces County resident was recently diagnosed with a COVID-19 variant that originated in Nigeria and potentially decreases the effectiveness of vaccines and treatment.
The person diagnosed with the B.1.525 variant is a man in his 40s who has recovered from the illness without hospitalization, a news release from the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District said.
His symptoms included shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and loss of taste and smell. He is undergoing extensive contact tracing.
The B.1.525 variant was first discovered in Nigeria in December 2020. Shortly after, cases of the variant were found in the United Kingdom and France. The variant is defined by the CDC as a “variant of interest” and may be more contagious and cause more severe illness.
Officials are urging the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to continue to wear face masks, wash their hands and maintain distance.
“The more people that get vaccinated, the faster Nueces County will reach herd immunity and the closer we will be to obtaining normalcy in our community,” the news release stated.