The case appears to be the first known case of the variant in the US
Fauci: US takes a closer look at the coronavirus variant that sets off alarms in the UK
Colorado officials said the man, who had no travel history, is in solitary confinement in Elbert County.
“Official health officials are conducting a thorough investigation,” a statement from the governor’s office said. “The individual has so far not identified any close contacts, but public health officials are identifying other possible cases and contacts through thorough contact tracing interviews.”
The variants are all the same virus, regardless of their small genetic differences.
SARS-COV-2 is a respiratory virus, which means that it is transmitted by droplets, so that masks and social distances still work to slow down the transmission, regardless of the variant.
Earlier this week, dr. Anthony Fauci said that the variant strain is something to follow very closely.
Millions have pledged to cancel Christmas plans in the UK as the new COVID-19 strain spreads rapidly
Nations of the European Union banned flights from the United Kingdom, and Germany considered restricting such flights to ensure that a new current across southern England could not establish a strong foothold on the continent.
Japan sharply tightens ban on foreign visitors as a precaution against a new and possibly more contagious coronavirus variant
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new variant of the virus is 70% more transmissible than existing strains, and appears to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and the south of England.
“There is no evidence to suggest that it is more deadly or causes serious illness,” he said, or that vaccines would be less effective against it.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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