On Tuesday, Colorado health officials confirmed the first case of a new and potentially more infectious strain of COVID, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom.
The health officials reported the case to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The infected man, who is in his 20s, is now in isolation in Elbert County. He does not have a travel history, according to the officials.
Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, said Tuesday, “There is a lot we don’t know about this new Covid-19 variant, 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.”
“We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels,” he added.
Polis also said that the state health officials have been working to identify other cases of the new strain through contact tracing interviews.
The new mutated strain, first discovered in the UK, has been considered the main culprit behind UK’s recent surge in new cases. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new variant of the coronavirus could be as much as 70% more transmissible.
Recently, the CDC said that the new strain could already be circulating in the US without getting identified.
The new strain sparked border closures in European countries such as Ireland, France, Belgium, and Germany, as well as nations outside of the continent.
The UK government has also confirmed that another infectious variant of the new coronavirus was identified in South Africa has also emerged in Britain.
Moncef Slaoui, a Belgian-American researcher, said earlier in December that the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines should be effective against the new strain of the virus.
