The highly contagious strain of Covid-19 that was discovered weeks ago in the UK has reached the US after Colorado confirmed its first case reported in Elbert County Tuesday afternoon.
“Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis said on Twitter.
“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.”
The infected person is a man in his 20s who has no travel history and is in quarantine in Elbert County where he’ll remain until he is cleared.
“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,” the Governor continued. “We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels.”
The discovery was made by the Colorado State Laboratory and almost immediately, the CDC was notified about the case.
The investigation will now focus on the infected man’s recent contacts to try and locate other potential cases.
