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The first reported US case of the Covid-19 variant seen in the UK was discovered in Colorado, Governor Jared Polis announced, adding urgency to efforts to vaccinate Americans.
The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is isolated southeast of Denver in Elbert County and has no travel history, state health officials said.
Ted S. Warren / AP
A worker wearing gloves, a face shield, a mask, and other PPE administers a test for Covid-19.
Elbert County is a primarily rural area of rolling plains at the far end of the Denver metro area that includes a portion of Interstate 70, the state’s main east-west highway.
Colorado Politics reported there is a second suspected case of the variant in the state, according to Dwayne Smith, Elbert County director of public health.
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Both people worked in the Simla community of Elbert County. None of them are residents of that county, which broadens the possibility that the variant will spread throughout the state.
The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the virus variant and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified.
UK scientists believe that the variant is more contagious than previously identified strains. The vaccines now being administered are believed to be effective against the variant, Colorado health officials said in a news release.
Dominic Lipinski / AP
Ambulances outside the Royal London Hospital, London.
For now, the variant is likely to remain rare in the United States, but the lack of travel history in the former means it is spreading, likely seeded by travelers from Britain in November or December, scientist Trevor Bedford said. , which studies the spread of Covid-19 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
“ Now I’m concerned that there will be another spring wave due to the variance, ” Bedford said. “ It’s a race with the vaccine, but now the virus has gotten a little bit faster. ”
Public health officials are investigating other potential cases and conducting contact tracing to determine the spread of the variant throughout the state.
“ There is much we do not know about this new variant of Covid-19, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority, and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all Covid-19 indicators, very closely, ” Polis said.
Steve Parsons / AP
Cargo trucks lined up in Manston, after French authorities announced that travel resumption from the UK will be allowed after the coronavirus ban was lifted, but those wishing to travel must have a negative test result. .
The Polis and state health officials are expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday.
The discovery of the new variant prompted the CDC to issue new rules on Christmas Day for travelers arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom, requiring that they show proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
Concern over the variant has grown since the weekend before Christmas, when the British prime minister said a new strain of the coronavirus appeared to spread more easily than previous ones and was moving rapidly through England. The nation’s first variant case was identified in southeastern England.
Dozens of countries banned flights from the UK and southern England was subjected to strict blocking measures. Scientists say there is cause for concern, but the new strains shouldn’t cause alarm.
Kyodo / AP News
People wearing face masks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus walk through the riotous intersection in Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district.
Japan announced Monday that it would ban all nonresident aliens as a precaution against the new strain.
New variants of the coronavirus have been observed almost since it was first detected in China almost a year ago. It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population. Slight modifications are the way scientists track the spread of a virus from one place to another.
But if the virus has significant mutations, one concern is that current vaccines no longer offer the same protections. Although that is a possibility to consider over time with the coronavirus, experts say they do not believe that is the case with the latest variant.
The UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, has also been found in Canada, Italy, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
South Africa has also discovered a highly contagious variant of Covid-19 that is driving the country’s latest surge in confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
The variant, known as 501.V2, is dominant among newly confirmed infections in South Africa, according to health officials and scientists leading the country’s virus strategy.
