Oregon officials announced on Saturday the second known case of the contagious coronavirus strain that quickly spread across the UK.
The Oregon Health Authority said it was notified on Friday that someone in Yamhill County tested positive for the variant strain COVID-19, which is known as B.1.1.7. The person has no known travel history, officials said.
Public health officials are investigating the person’s possible sources of infection.
A University of Portland employee last week became the first Oregonian identified with the most contagious new strain of coronavirus.
Federal officials say the strain is much more transmissible than the standard coronavirus and is likely to account for most infections in the United States by March.
Vaccines approved for coronavirus are believed to work just as effectively against the new strain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 195 known cases of the variant strain across the country on Friday. This number does not include Oregon’s second case.
– The Oregonian / OregonLive
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