State health officials announced on Friday that a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 was detected in New Hampshire for the first time.
According to a press release from the state Department of Health and Human Services, a resident of Hillsborough County recently in close contact with someone who traveled internationally tested positive for variant B.1.1.7, also known as variant of UK.
The state has already tracked contacts and, at the moment, believes there is no risk of further dissemination to the community, according to the statement.
“The presence of a COVID-19 variant in New Hampshire is not surprising, and we are likely to see an increasing number of infections of variant B.1.1.7,” said Dr. Benjamin Chan, a state epidemiologist, in a statement. “The CDC estimated that the variant is likely to become the predominant variant in circulation in the United States in the near future.”
It changed urged residents to continue wearing a mask, observing social distance and washing their hands regularly. People who have symptoms of COVID-19 should also be tested for the disease.
According to the CDC, New Hampshire is the 39th state to identify the strain, which has also spread to more than 80 countries. Vermont and Maine confirmed their first recorded cases of the UK variant on Thursday.
According to public health officials, variant B.1.1.7 is 50% more infectious and transmissible. State officials said, “However, COVID-19 vaccines appear to be highly effective in preventing COVID-19 from this variant.”
At least two other strains of COVID-19 have also been identified, including one variant first identified in South Africa and another in Brazil.
The CDC warns that “these variants appear to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19. An increase in the number of cases will put more pressure on health resources, lead to more hospitalizations and, potentially, more deaths ”.
(This story will be updated as more information becomes available.)