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The highly infectious new variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK has now been detected in Southern California, according to the state governor.
Gavin Newsom stated that the most transmissible version of the coronavirus it had reached the west coast of the United States on Wednesday, a day after the first case was documented in Colorado.
Governor Newsom confirmed the finding at the beginning of an online discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic along with Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the country’s leading experts.
Dr. Fauci said he was “not surprised” that the new variant had been detected in the United States.
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“I don’t think Californians should think this is strange. This is to be expected,” he said, before adding that he expected additional cases to appear in other states.
It follows the first variant case in the United States announced by Colorado Governor Jared Polis earlier this week.
Governor Polis said it affected a National Guard soldier in his 20s who had been assigned to help deal with a coronavirus outbreak at a nursing home in a semi-rural area.
The California governor did not provide details on who was affected by the state’s case.
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According to Dr. Greg Armstrong, who directs genetic sequencing at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suspicious samples from the states of Massachusetts and Delaware are also being tested.
Dr. Armstrong said the CDC is working with a national laboratory that collects samples from around the country to expand the search for the variant, and its first results are expected in a few days.
Scientists believe that the variant, first discovered in the UK as a result of genomic sequencing, is 70% more contagious but not more severe in its symptoms.
It has now been detected in Europe, as well as Australia, Canada, India, and Japan, among other countries.
Although it is not expected to be more resistant to vaccines, the increased transmission means that it could lead to an increase in patients in hospitals, which could overwhelm health services.
This is the case in the UK, where there are a growing number of people entering hospital with COVID-19, especially in the South East and London, where the new variant accounts for the majority of cases.
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