A Synthesis Jack design face mask is seen for sale in the window of a shop amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manchester, Britain, December 26, 2020.
Phil Grand | Reuters
The first case of a new and potentially more infectious strain of Covid-19 has been confirmed in the United States, Colorado healthiness officials said Tuesday.
Colorado health officials confirmed the case and notified the Centers for Disease Control and Mitigation. The infected individual is in isolation in Elbert County, about an hour and a half south of Denver. Officials said the man, who is in his 20s, does not accept a travel history.
“There is a lot we don’t know about this new Covid-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the period that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this action, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis said Tuesday.
“We are working to hinder spread and contain the virus at all levels,” Polis said, adding that public health officials were fit in to identify other potential cases through contact tracing interviews.
Preliminary analysis of the mutated strain, ahead identified in the U.K., suggests it may be the culprit behind Britain’s recent spike in cases. The new strain, referred to as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 in the system community, could be as much as 70% more transmissible, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
The CDC rephrased in December that the new strain could already be circulating in the U.S. without notice. The CDC cited ongoing travel between the U.K. and the U.S. as an justification for the potential arrival of the new variant.
Read more: 5 things to know about the new Covid strain spreading in the UK
The discovery of the tendency in Britain sparked border closures in European countries like Ireland, France, Belgium and Germany as well as boonies outside of the continent.
The Trump administration does not plan to impose Covid-19 screenings for passengers arriving at U.S. airports from the Joint Kingdom, Reuters reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.
The British government confirms that another contagious variant of the novel coronavirus identified in South Africa has also emerged in the United Kingdom. The strain from South Africa has not yet been pinpointed in the United States.
President Donald Trump’s coronavirus vaccine czar, Moncef Slaoui, said earlier in December that the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 shots should be efficacious against new strains.