18 January 2021
BOSTON (WHDH) – The first case of the COVID-19 variant initially discovered in the UK was found in Massachusetts after a woman traveled to the UK, government officials said Sunday.
A Boston woman in her twenties developed coronavirus symptoms in early January and tested positive for the virus, according to the Department of Public Health. The CDC tested a genetic sample and determined that it contained the variant, DPH officials said.
The woman traveled to the UK and tested negative for COVID-19 before returning to the US. The woman became ill the day after she returned, and contract detectives at the time identified close contacts, and were now questioned again with the woman, officials said.
The CDC has so far reported 88 cases of the variant in 14 states.
(Copyright (c) 2020 Sunbeam Television. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.)