(KAIR)--A COVID-19 variant has been confirmed in Atchison County.
That word is delivered in a release from the Atchison County office of the Northeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments and Atchison County Emergency Management.
According to the release, the variant, the first confirmed in Atchison County, is identified as the P.1 variant, described by the Centers for Disease Control as having first been identified in Brazil, and later in Tokyo, Japan. It was first confirmed in the United States at the end of January.
P.1 is listed as a variant of concern, meaning there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease, leading to increased hospitalizations or death, and a reduced effectiveness of vaccines.
The release encourages Atchison County residents to continue to wear face masks in public places, practice social distancing, continue proper handwashing, and to get tested and stay home if symptoms begin to be shown.
According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, variants of concern, including P.1, are confirmed in five additional local counties, with two cases confirmed in both Doniphan and Brown counties, while seven are confirmed in Jefferson County. Leavenworth and Pottawatomie counties have four confirmed cases each.
© Many Signals Communications
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Holton man killed in Jackson Co crash
Morrill pair arrested on drug, child endangerment charges
Cold case investigation leads to Holton warrant
Effingham owner regains truck following theft, arrest
Horton City Clerk's resignation accepted Monday
Local residents avoid injury in chain reaction crash
Former Kickapoo Tribal chairman arrested
90 mph+ downburst winds blamed for Thursday damage
Winchester native named as Amberwell CEO
Wamego man sentenced in second fentanyl-related death
Mayetta pair arrested on meth, child endangerment charges
Holton property search concludes with arrest
Stolen trailer, 4-wheeler, recovered in Atchison
Juveniles face charges following Atchison break-in
Atchison Co's Oswald named honorary bailiff for KS Court
Two arrested following Friday Jackson Co traffic stop
McLouth man injured in Monday wreck
No injuries in early Sunday morning house fire in Falls City
LATEST STORIES
KS prepares for severe weekend weather
Richardson County Board approves pay raise for dispatchers
NPPD urges farmers to be safe around power lines
Arbor Day proclaimed in Atchison
Former AG Schmidt running for KS' 2nd Congressional District
Doniphan Co Commission approves overlay projects
Holton property search concludes with arrest
Former Kickapoo Tribal chairman arrested