The first known case of the COVID-19 virus variant B.1.351 has been confirmed in the Central Virginia region, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Officials did not indicate where the case occurred. The person with the case had no history of travel during the exposure period, according to the VDH. The B.1.351 variant, which first emerged in South Africa in late 2020, is associated with increased person-to-person transmission of COVID-19, though there is no evidence that infections with the variant cause more severe disease. To date, the variant has been identified in 19 other U.S. states or jurisdictions. It...