WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A more infectious variant of COVID-19 swept by the United Kingdom has been identified in Florida, state health officials said Thursday, making it the third known U.S. state to identify such a case.
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Hundreds wait in Lakes Park Regional Library to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Fort Myers
The Florida Department of Health said the case involved a man in his twenties in Martin County with no travel history. Two other cases concerning the British variant have been identified in Colorado and California.
“The department is working with the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on this investigation,” it tweeted.
Video: First cases of a new Covid strain have been identified in the US – here is what has been known so far (CNBC)
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FOLLOWING
Gavin Newsom, governor of California, said Wednesday that coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 has been identified in Southern California.
A day earlier, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the variant was identified there, while another state health official said a second possible case was being investigated.
The cases found in individuals who have not traveled recently have shown that the likely distribution of the person-to-person variation is widespread in the United States. Health experts have said they believe the new variant is more contagious, but the approved vaccines should provide protection against it.
(Reported by Susan Heavey; edited by Daniel Wallis and Neil Fullick)
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