The first reported US case of the COVID-19 variant seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado.
Key points:
- Current vaccines are thought to be effective against the new COVID variant
- Travellers arriving to the US from the UK now require proof of a negative COVID-19 test
- The UK variant has also been found in Canada, Italy, India and the UAE
The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation south-east of Denver in Elbert County and has no travel history, state health officials said.
Elbert County is a mainly rural area of rolling plains at the far edge of the Denver metro area that includes a portion of Interstate 70, the state's main east-west highway.
The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the virus variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was notified.
Scientists in the UK believe the variant is more contagious than previously identified strains.
The news comes as the United States reported the highest number ever recorded of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 across the country.
According to the US-based COVID Tracking Project, "states reported 1.5 million tests, 162,000 cases, 121,235 hospitalisations, and 1,491 deaths" over the past 24 hours.
The country's proportion of ICU patients who have coronavirus also rose from 16 per cent in September to 40 per cent last week, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Travellers from UK now require negative test
The vaccines being given now are thought to be effective against the new COVID variant, Colorado health officials said in a news release.
Public health officials in Colorado are investigating other potential cases and performing contact tracing to determine the spread of the variant throughout the state.
"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 said.
"The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority, and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely."
He said state health officials are expected to hold a news conference on Wednesday (local time).
The discovery of the new variant led the CDC to issue new rules on Christmas Day for travellers arriving to the US from the UK, requiring they show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Worry has been growing about the variant since the weekend before Christmas, when Britain's Prime Minister said a new strain of the coronavirus seemed to spread more easily than earlier ones and was moving rapidly through England.
Dozens of countries barred flights from the UK, and southern England was placed under strict lockdown measures.
The UK variant, known as B117, has also been found in Canada, Italy, India and the United Arab Emirates.
New variants of the coronavirus have been seen almost since the virus was first detected in China nearly a year ago.
It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population. The slight modifications are how scientists track the spread of a virus from one place to another.
But if the virus has significant mutations, one concern is that current vaccines might no longer offer the same protections.
Although that's a possibility to watch for over time with the coronavirus, experts say they don't believe it will be the case with the latest variant.
South Africa has also discovered a highly contagious COVID-19 variant that is driving the country's latest spike of confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
The variant, known as 501.V2, is dominant among the newly confirmed infections in South Africa, according to health officials and scientists leading the country's virus strategy.
ABC/wires
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTMwL3JlcG9ydGVkLXVzLWNhc2Utb2YtY292aWQtMTktdmFyaWFudC1mb3VuZC1pbi1jb2xvcmFkby8xMzAyMTEzMNIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMzAyMTEzMA?oc=5
2020-12-30 03:23:00Z
52781274466291
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "First US case of COVID-19 variant found in Colorado as highest number of COVID hospitalisations recorded - ABC News"
Post a Comment