Health

Case Of India COVID Variant Discovered In San Diego

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published May 5, 2021 at 11:38 AM PDT

This story was published more than 2 years ago.

A coronavirus patient lies on a bed surrounded by medical staff inside the intensive care unit at a Scripps hospital in this undated photo.

The first case of the Covid virus variant that has led to a major outbreak in India has been detected in San Diego. Because of the lag time between a positive test and viral sequencing, the variant was not detected until last week.

A case of the COVID variant B.1.617, the strain that is causing thousands of deaths and catastrophically overwhelming health systems in India, has been discovered in San Diego.

The San Diego County Health Department learned of the discovery on April 29 and reported it to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The infected person is a woman in her 20s, who returned to San Diego from India in late March and was hospitalized in early April. The county cited the long lag time to complete genetic sequencing to explain why the county public health department wasn't notified until last week.

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Much about the case is unknown, including who the patient is, whether she is still hospitalized and whether she had been vaccinated before her trip to India.

The India variant, B.1.617, is not prevalent in the United States, but it has been found in Michigan and Iowa. The United Kingdom variant, B.1.1.7, is far more common, causing about 60% of cases here, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

San Diego Union-Tribune health-care reporter Paul Sisson joined KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday to talk about the India variant.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn