Colorado public health officials on Tuesday confirmed the first case in the United States of the new highly contagious coronavirus strain, first discovered in Britain weeks ago, leading to a new set of blockages there.
A state laboratory informed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the presence of the strain in a 20-year-old man from Elbert County. He has no travel history and is isolating himself until released by public health officials, Governor Jared Polis said in a statement.
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“The health and safety of Colorado’s residents is our highest priority and we will monitor this case closely, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely,” said Polis. “We are working to prevent the spread and contain the virus at all levels.”
Polis said the man has not identified any close contacts so far, but that public health officials are working to find other people who have been potentially exposed through contact tracking interviews. He said his office will monitor the new case “very closely”.
The discovery of the new strain, called B.1.1.7, in Britain alarmed authorities and led to blocking measures and restrictions on international travel in south-east England during the holiday season.
Researchers have identified the new strain in more than a dozen countries, including Japan, Canada and several European countries. Last week, Nigerian officials said the new variant appears to have appeared in that country.
“There is a lot that we don’t know about this new variant COVID-19, but UK scientists are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious,” said Polis.
Currently approved vaccines are considered effective against the new variant, according to experts. Polis said his office will monitor the new case “very closely”.
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On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned the public to take the new strain “very seriously”.
“We are getting isolates from it, combining viruses, to be able to test directly, obtain sera from people we vaccinate, and see if it still neutralizes this new strain, this mutant strain that comes from the UK, as well as from South Africa, Fauci told CNN about the studies to determine whether current vaccines can stop the new strain. “There is a similar, but not entirely the same, type of mutation that we see in South Africa.”