New, more contagious COVID strain has spread to at least 8 states, officials say
Less than two weeks after reporting the first case of a new, more contagious COVID-19 strain in the U.S., the mutated variant has spread to eight states from coast to coast, health officials say.
Thursday, Texas, Connecticut and Pennsylvania became the latest states to report cases of the new strain, often called the “UK Variant,” as it was first identified in the United Kingdom.
Colorado saw the country’s first UK variant case on Dec. 29, McClatchy News previously reported. California came next, followed by New York, Florida and then Georgia.
There’s no evidence the UK variant is any deadlier than existing coronavirus strains, but it may be up to 70% more transmissible, McClatchy reported.
Two Connecticut residents between 15 and 25 years old have been infected, the Hartford Courant reported. One recently returned from a trip to Ireland and the other had visited New York state. The two cases are not related.
“As we said last week, given the speed of this new strand of the virus and its identification in several states throughout our country, we presumed it was already in our state and this information this morning confirms that fact,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday, the Courant reported.
Texas’ first UK variant patient is an adult male who lives in the Houston area, according to the state health department, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The patient has no recent travel history, leading health experts to believe the strain has already established a foothold in the state.
While the new strain spreads more quickly and easily, the same COVID-19 protection measures Americans have been using since March should still be effective against it.
“This should make us all redouble our commitment to the infection prevention practices that we know work: masks any time you’re around people you don’t live with, social distancing, and personal and environmental hygiene,” Texas health officials said, according to the Star-Telegram.
Pennsylvania’s first patient was exposed to the virus while traveling abroad, WGAL reported. They have since recovered and experienced only mild symptoms.
“There is still much to learn about this new variant, so we need to remain vigilant,” health officials said, the TV station reported.
The strain has reached at least 22 European countries, according to the World Health Organization, which it called “an alarming situation,” CNN reported.
“It is our assessment that this variant of concern may, over time, replace other circulating lineages as seen in the United Kingdom, and increasingly in Denmark,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said Thursday.
“With increased transmissibility and similar disease severity, the variant does, however, raise alarm: without increased control to slow its spread, there will be an increased impact on already stressed and pressurized health facilities.”
Most U.S. cases of the new strain are in California and Florida, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Of the 52 total known cases, 22 are in Florida, and 26 are in California, according to the data last updated Thursday.
The United States has reported 21..8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 368,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 4:30 PM.