State health officials announced Friday that an extremely contagious variant of COVID-19 has been detected for the first time in New Hampshire.
According to a State Department of Health and Human Services press release, a Hillsborough County resident who was in close contact with someone traveling internationally tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant, also known as the British variant.
The state has conducted contact detection and believes at the moment there is no danger to the community from spreading further, according to the press release.
“The presence of a COVID-19 variant in New Hampshire is not surprising, and we are likely to see increasing numbers of infections of the B.1.1.7 variant,” said Dr. State epidemiologist Benjamin Chan said in a statement. “The CDC has estimated that the variant will probably become the predominant variant in the US in the near future.”
Chan urged residents to continue wearing a mask, taking social distance into account and washing their hands regularly. People who show symptoms of COVID-19 are also asked to do a test for the disease.
According to the CDC, New Hampshire is the 39th state to identify the tribe, which has also spread to more than 80 states. Vermont and Maine on Thursday confirmed their first recorded cases of the British variant.
According to public health officials, the B.1.1.7 variant is more than 50 percent more contagious and transmissible. Government officials said: “However, the COVID-19 vaccines appear to be very effective in preventing COVID-19 from this variant.”
At least two other strains of COVID-19 have also been identified, including a variant first identified in South Africa and another in Brazil.
The CDC warns that ‘these variants appear to spread more easily and faster than other variants, which could lead to more cases of COVID-19. An increase in the number of cases will put more pressure on healthcare resources, lead to more hospitalizations and possibly deaths. ‘
(This story will be updated as more information becomes available.)