A case of the COVID-19 variant, called “Super Strain”, which is said to be approximately 70 percent more contagious, has now been confirmed in New York.
A symptomatic man in his 60s is now feeling better, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on Monday, January 4.
The man works at N. Fox Jewelers on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, which has been closed since Thursday, December 24.
The state is asking everyone who visited the store from Friday, December 18 until Christmas Eve, to take the test and notify local or state health officials.
“As the strain of the virus is more transmissible, it could lead to a higher infection rate and possibly a higher hospitalization rate,” said Cuomo. “I ask New Yorkers to continue to do what is proven to reduce the spread. Wear a mask, social distance and be cautious.”
As with the other six confirmed cases in the United States, the man has not recently traveled, which means he has been infected by spread in the community.
The first case in the United States was identified in Colorado on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 29.
The man in his 20s is a Colorado National Guard who was assigned to help a nursing home struggling with a COVID outbreak.
On Wednesday, December 30, California Governor Gavin Newsom reported that the second American case of the variant strain was confirmed in a person in the southern part of the state, whose age and sex were not disclosed.
On Thursday, December 31, Florida confirmed a case of the variant strain, identifying the person as a man in his 20s who lives in Martin County and has no travel history.
Later that day, California authorities confirmed that three more people were infected with the virus variant. This brings the total number of known “Super Strain” cases in the United States to six.
The strain was discovered in the UK before it spread to other European nations.
The UK variant has also been detected in Canada and Australia.
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