The first U.S. reported case of the COVID-19 variant seen in the United Kingdom was found in Colorado, Governor Jared Polis announced Tuesday.
The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is alone southeast of Denver and has no travel history, state health officials said.
The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the virus variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified.
Scientists in the UK believe that the variant is more contagious than previously mentioned series. The vaccines being given are now thought to be effective against the opposite, Colorado health officials said in a news release.
Public health officials are investigating other potential cases and performing a contact search to determine the spread of the variant across the state.
“Much is unknown about this new variant of COVID-19, but scientists in the UK are warning the world that it is much more contagious.
People walk past a roadside public health information sign, amid COVID-19 pandemic, in London, UK, December 29, 2020 [Toby Melville/Reuters]
“The health and safety of Coloradans is our number one priority, and we will be closely monitoring this issue, as well as all COVID-19 indications,” said Polis.
Police and state health officials are expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday.
When the new variant was discovered, the CDC issued new rules on Christmas Day to travelers entering the United States from the UK, requiring them to show proof of a COVID-19 negative test.
Concerns have been growing about the opposite since Saturday, when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new snort of the coronavirus appeared to be spreading more easily than earlier ones and moving rapidly through England. The country’s first variable issue was identified in the south-east of England.
Dozens of countries have banned flights from the UK, and the south of England under strict locking measures. Scientists have said there is cause for concern but the new series should not scare him.
Japan announced Monday that it would block the entry of all incomprehensible foreign nationals as a warning against the new pressure.
Vaccination concerns
New variants of the coronavirus have been seen almost since the virus was first discovered in China nearly a year ago. It is common for viruses to undergo small changes as they reproduce and move through humans. The small changes are how scientists monitor the spread of a virus from one place to another.
But if the virus has large mutations, there is concern that conventional vaccines may not offer the same protections. While that’s possible to watch for a while with the coronavirus, experts have said they don’t believe it will be true with the latest version.
President Joe Biden said it could take years for most Americans to get vaccinated for the virus at normal transmission rates.
President Joe Biden will deliver a speech following a video conference call with a focus on foreign policy at his headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware on December 28, 2020 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
Biden ‘s prediction of a gloomy winter aimed at reducing public expectations that the pandemic will be over came shortly after he takes office on January 20, while sending a message to Congress that the its administration to significantly increase spending to accelerate vaccine distribution, expand testing and provide funding to states to reopen schools.
Biden said about two million people had been vaccinated, well short of the 20 million pledged by President Donald Trump before the end of the year.
“As I have long feared and warned, the effort to roll out and deliver the vaccine is not progressing as well as it should,” said Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. At the moment, “it will take years, not months, to vaccinate the American people. ”
This variant has also been found in Canada, Italy, India and the United Arab Emirates.