New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wears a protective mask when he arrives to speak during a daily meeting after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, July 13, 2020.
Mike Segar | Reuters
New York State has confirmed its first case of a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus that was first discovered in the United Kingdom, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.
The strain, which has also been found in California, Florida and Colorado, is considered to be more transmissible, but it does not appear to make people sicker or increase the risk of death from Covid-19, experts said.
The case was identified in a 60-year-old man from Saratoga County who had no travel history, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters. The man, who is now recovering, worked at a jewelry store where three other people also tested positive for Covid-19. The state is investigating whether these cases were caused by the new strain.
Cuomo told reporters that the state has carried out about 5,000 tests in search of the new variant, known as B.1.1.7. Cuomo said he believed it was “much more” widespread than people already know.
“If other states could test as much as we tested and tested for the U..K strain as much as we tested, they would find them,” said Cuomo, adding that authorities have yet to detect any cases of tension in the New York area. York.
US health officials said the variant’s arrival in the country is not a surprise, although it could make things worse if it is allowed to spread out of control.
Although the new variant does not appear to cause more serious illness in infected people and current vaccines are still expected to work against it, it may lead to more hospitalizations as a result of an increase in cases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week . The United States is also on alert for a second new highly infectious strain found for the first time in South Africa, similar to that of the United Kingdom, CDC officials said.
“The increase in infection is a problem, but the increase in the hospitalization rate is a game changer because if a hospital’s capacity is threatened in one region, that region will have to close,” Cuomo told reporters.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the state has confirmed six cases of the new variant, all in the southern part of the state. A person in San Diego County was hospitalized, he said.
“We imagine, in fact, that one should only anticipate that there will be others identified,” Newsom said during a news conference.
State officials are expected to provide an update by the end of Tuesday on California’s genomic tests, which are being conducted to “understand more broadly what this strain looks like and what it is doing.” Newsom said state health officials are making efforts to track contracts.
The CDC now requires that all airline passengers arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom submit a negative Covid-19 test within three days of their departure.
In the UK, on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national blocking order in England until at least mid-February, hoping to slow the spread of the new variant. He said the country’s top doctors believe the strain is between 50% to 70% more transmissible compared to previous versions.
“With most of the country already under extreme measures, it is clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are launched,” Johnson said during a television ad.
– CNBC’s Riya Bhattacharjee contributed to this report.