Health officials in Florida announced on Thursday that they had detected the most infectious new strain of the coronavirus, making it the third US state to report a case of the virus variant.
The new strain was first found in the United Kingdom.
“Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a man in his 20s with no travel history. The Department is working with the CDC on this investigation. We encourage everyone to continue practicing COVID-19 mitigation, ”said the Florida Department of Health on Twitter on Thursday.
Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a man in his 20s with no travel history. The Department is working with the CDC on this investigation. We encourage everyone to continue practicing COVID-19 mitigation.
– Florida Department of Health (@HealthyFla) January 1, 2021
Colorado and California detected cases of the strain this week.
The new strain, called B.1.1.7, was first detected in Colorado on Tuesday and was found in a man in his 20s who had not traveled.
On Wednesday, a California health official announced that the patient infected with the new strain was a 30-year-old man and had no travel history, according to Politico.
The Florida Department of Health added, “At the moment, experts predict little or no impact on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a man in his 20s with no travel history. The Department is working with the CDC on this investigation. We encourage everyone to continue practicing COVID-19 mitigation.
– Florida Department of Health (@HealthyFla) January 1, 2021
Health experts and pharmaceutical companies said the current vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are considered effective against the new strain, although more tests are being conducted to confirm its effectiveness.
Although it is more infectious, it is not believed to cause more severe symptoms or be more deadly.