[ad_1]
WASHINGTON: The first known U.S. case of a highly infectious variant of the coronavirus was detected in Colorado, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday (December 29).
Polis announced on Twitter that his state had discovered a case of a highly infectious B117 variant of coronavirus first detected in the UK.
He attached an official statement from his office and state health officials saying the individual is a “male in his 20s who is currently isolated in Elbert County and has no travel history.”
The individual had no close contacts, according to the statement, but the situation will continue to be monitored “very closely” and authorities are working to identify other potential cases through contact tracing.
The Washington Post reported that the Colorado case is the first known infection of the virus variant to be recorded in the United States. The first two variant cases on the North American continent were discovered in Canada over the weekend.
READ: India finds six cases of new coronavirus variant in UK arrivals
READ: AstraZeneca says the shot will be effective against the new COVID-19 variant
The new strain of COVID-19 has raised fears, which experts say is potentially more transmissible.
More than 3,000 cases of the variant have already been reported in the UK and in dozens of countries in Europe and around the world, according to the EU health agency ECDC.
In South Africa, more than 300 cases of another variant have been recorded. Three cases of that strain variant have been confirmed in Europe, two in the UK and one in Finland, but all three have been linked to people returning from South Africa.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
