Florida health officials said Thursday they have evidence that the Covid-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom has been found in a patient in the state, making it the third state in the nation to report the strain.
Florida Department of Health said, “Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the UK COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a male in his 20s with no history of travel. The Department is working with the CDC on this investigation. We encourage all to continue practicing COVID-19 mitigation.”
At this time, experts anticipate little to no impact on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Officials in San Diego County, California, said the strain has been identified in three more people in San Diego County, bringing the number of confirmed cases there to four.
The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the UK, was been discovered in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday.
The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the case and notified the CDC.
Polis said in a statement, “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.”
Like the Florida case, the individual is a male in his 20s who is currently in isolation in Elbert County and has no travel history.
This COVID-19 variant is believed to be more easily transmissible but not more deadly than the strain that started the pandemic. Health officials say there is no evidence that vaccines are any less effective against it.