3 people infected with the UK coronavirus variant in Fresno County

FRESNO, California (KFSN) – Health officials say they discovered the first known cases of the coronavirus variant in the UK in Fresno County.

At a news conference on Friday afternoon, Fresno County Department of Public Health officials said they were told by the state that three people had tested positive for the UK coronavirus variant, or “B.1.1.7 “as it is officially known.

At the briefing, health officials acknowledged that the three cases are probably “just the tip of the iceberg”, and there are probably many more cases of these variant strains causing COVID cases in Fresno County.

Health department contact trackers have already contacted all people infected with the variant and are working to isolate people with whom they may have come in contact.

B.1.1.7 is one of the so-called “variants of concern” and was considered 40 to 80 percent more transmissible. It was first detected in the United Kingdom, where it spread rapidly and caused a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Stay with ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.