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Variant strain confirmed in Iowa long-term care center, state says it's likely the most common strain in the state

The State Hygienic Lab continues to do sequencing on samples from across the state.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A spokeswoman with the Iowa Department of Public Health told Local 5 state public health officials have recently confirmed the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant is in a long-term care facility, with some of the confirmed cases detected among Iowans who had either been completely or partially vaccinated.

Over the weekend, a third long-term care facility was listed in outbreak status. As of Monday, 29 total cases have been reported among LTC residents and staff, according to the state.

It is not uncommon for someone who has been partially vaccinated or completely vaccinated to get infected by the coronavirus. The vaccines are meant to prevent severe illness and hospitalization in those who get it. 

"As the percentage of Iowans who are fully vaccinated continues to increase, we would expect there will also be a small percentage of infections among people who have been vaccinated but whose immune systems didn't develop a strong enough protective response," said IDPH's Sarah Ekstrand.

Iowa has 223 confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7. variant, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The state lab isn't testing every sample for variants.

According to an article from Johns Hopkins University, there is some evidence the B.1.1.7 variant is more contagious than the previous strain of coronavirus. 

The new variants don't call for any new prevention strategies. IDPH officials said Iowans still need to wear a face covering, practice social distancing and good hygiene, and schedule a vaccine appointment as soon as they can.

Watch more coronavirus stories from Local 5 on YouTube.

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