Colorado confirms it has detected first cases of ‘mutant COVID’ strain
Super-COVID IS in the US: Colorado man in his 20s with NO travel history becomes first American to test positive for the mutant strain first detected in the UK
- Gov. Polis revealed mutant COVID-19 strain from the UK was found in Colorado
- Case was detected in a man in his 20s who is now ‘in isolation in Elbert County’
- He has no travel history, which reveals he caught it from someone in the US
- The new variant of the coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in Britain
- Mutation may be up to 70% more infectious and more of a concern for children
- Comes after millions traveled to see loved-ones during the holidays
Colorado has announced it has detected the first US case of the super-COVID strain that was first found in the UK.
Governor Jared Polis revealed the worrying news in a tweet, writing: ‘Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely.’
An attached statement said the Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the case and notified the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
The strain – which is thought to be 70 per cent more infectious – was detected in a man in his 20s who is ‘currently in isolation in Elbert County and has no travel history.’
Governor Jared Polis released this statement saying the person infected is a man in his 20s who had not been traveling
The fact the man has not traveled tells officials he caught the strain from someone else in the US.
The man will remain in isolation until he is cleared by health officials.
The statement adds: ‘The individual has no close contacts identified so far, but public health officials are working to identify other potential cases and contacts through thorough contact tracing interviews.’
Polis added: ‘There is a lot we don’t know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious.
Governor Jared Polis revealed the worrying news in a tweet, writing: ‘Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7’
‘The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor the case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators very closely.
‘We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels.’
The news comes after millions of people traveled across the US to see loved-ones during the holidays.
The new variant of the coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in Britain recently with huge swathes of England being placed under its strictest COVID-19 restrictions.
The mutation known as the B.1.1.7 lineage may be up to 70 per cent more infectious and more of a concern for children.
The news comes after millions of people traveled across the US to see loved-ones during the holidays
The US coronavirus death toll in January could far surpass that of December, Dr Anthony Fauci warned on Tuesday
It has sown chaos in Britain, prompting a wave of travel bans that are disrupting trade with Europe and threatening to further isolate the island country.
Polis urged people to continue to wear masks, stand six feet apart when gathering with others and only interact with members of their immediate household.
His announcement was made on the same day Dr Anthony Fauci reiterated concerns about the new strain of coronavirus which he correctly predicted had already arrived in the US.
‘I cannot imagine that we’re not going to get it,’ Fauci said of the new strain.
‘The question is preventing it from becoming the dominant strain.’
Officials so far believe that coronavirus vaccines will work against the new strain.
