Florida has evidence of UK variant case
More states are reporting cases of a coronavirus variant that was first detected in the UK -- one that experts say is
more transmissible than prior strains.
Florida health officials
announced the state has evidence of its first case of the variant, in a man in his 20s with no relevant history of travel.
Here's what we know about the new coronavirus variant found in US
"The department is working with the (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on this investigation. We encourage all to continue practicing Covid-19 mitigation," the state's health department wrote on Twitter.
In California, four men in San Diego County were discovered this week to have been infected with the variant, health officials there said Thursday. At least two of the men had no relevant, recent travel history, and the four are not believed to have interacted with one another.
The first known case of the variant in the
US was identified in Colorado, in a man in his 20s who had no recent, relevant travel history.
Experts have said they expect there are likely many more cases across the country that have not yet been detected.
"An unknown travel history means that this person picked it up the community," Dr. Atul Gawande, a member of the Biden-Harris transition Covid-19 advisory board, previously told CNN.
"If this mutation, this mutated virus, which is more contagious, is not widespread yet and beginning to spread, that means it will be even more important to follow the approaches we know work," he said.