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PHOENIX – The COVID-19 variant that spreads at a faster rate was detected in Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a press release on Friday night.
AZDHS, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Pinal County Public Health Services and Arizona State University report that variant (B.1.1.7) has been confirmed in three state test samples.
Although the variant spreads faster, according to the statement, studies suggest that vaccines authorized to fight COVID-19 are still effective against the variant.
It is not known how widely the variant may have spread in Arizona, according to the statement.
The UK identified the new strain in the fall of 2020, with the first case of the variant being detected in the United States in late December.
Health officials say it is typical for viruses to change through mutations, with new variants of a virus expected to occur over time. Some new variants appear and disappear, according to the release, while others appear and remain.
The state health secretary is working with laboratory and public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control, to monitor the situation, according to the note.
Health officials are asking people to follow proven mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance and hand washing.
Arizona health officials on Friday reported 5,028 new cases of coronavirus and 203 additional deaths from COVID-19.
The state’s documented totals reached 748,260 infections and 13,022 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 panel.