BOISE, Idaho — Some Idaho health experts worry that new COVID-19 variants may eventually become the norm.
Last Thursday, the state reported eight cases of the variant originally identified in the UK, two cases of the variant first found in South Africa and 12 cases of the variant discovered in California late last year.
While studies on the variants are ongoing, each is believed to spread more easily and quickly than the original strain of the virus. According to the CDC, that could put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths.
In Idaho, health officials are tracking the variants by keeping a close eye on COVID-19 test results.
"We have just begun our surveillance efforts, and only a sampling of cases are being sequenced at present, so we can't yet address whether we are seeing an increase," the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said in a statement. "However, we know that these variants are increasing nationwide, and we presume they are increasing here as well."
Dr. David Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health, told KTVB on Tuesday that Idaho's test positivity rate has been trending upward recently.
“We have seen over the last two weeks, that positivity rate go back up," Peterman said. "The goal around the country is to get that positivity rate less than 5% and here in Idaho, at least in our data, we were around 8% or a little bit less and just this last week we were over 11%."
Peterman said he has reason to believe that the increase in cases isn’t all standard COVID-19 cases, but perhaps variants. When conducting a PCR test, Peterman said there are markers called a “drop s” that often indicate a variant is present.
“Early on in February we had zero of these drop s's, then two weeks ago we had 11, and then this last week we had 35," he explained. "That is an incredible increase in drop s, and then if you assume most of those are all of those are the variant, that's worrisome."
Test results are then sent to the state lab which will either do further testing or will send them off to get sequenced at the University of New Mexico. Lab results can take one to two weeks to return to the state.
Peterman said this is not the time for Idahoans to let their guard down and if they do, it will just be the beginning of seeing more variants in Idaho.
“What we do know from all around the country and Europe, for that matter, is the variant, particularly the United Kingdom variant spreads very rapidly, it's very contagious and it transfers at a much more rapid rate than the current coronavirus that we have had here in the United States,” Peterman said.
St. Luke’s told KTVB they are screening for variants from UK at their Boise and Magic Valley locations. On Monday, eight out of 279 tests came back showing a likely presence of the variant from St. Luke’s Boise locations. The screenings are not confirmed variant cases, they have been sent to the state lab for further testing.
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