In a media conference Friday afternoon, officials from the Department of Public Health in Fresno County said they had been informed by the state that three people had tested positive for the British coronavirus variant, or “B.1.1.7” as it is officially known stand.
In the briefing, health officials acknowledged that the three cases are likely to be ‘only the tip of the iceberg’, and that there are likely to be many more cases of these variety strains in the Fresno province of COVID cases.
Contact detectives from the health department have already reached out to all the people infected with the variant and are working to isolate people with whom they may have come into contact.
B.1.1.7 is one of the so-called ‘variants of concern’ and has been found to be 40 to 80 percent more transferable. It was first detected in the UK where it spread rapidly and caused a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Stay tuned to ABC30 for the latest details on this evolving story.
Copyright © 2021 KFSN-TV. All rights reserved.