First case of ‘mutant strain’ of COVID-19 that originated in the UK is found in New York after man in his 60s with no travel history is diagnosed
- Gov Andrew Cuomo said that ‘mutant strain’ was found in New York on Monday
- He said a man in his 60s has tested positive for strain but has no travel history
- The man is from Saratoga County, New York, and works at a jewelry store
- Three other people who reportedly work at the store have also tested positive for COVID-19, but it’s unclear if they have the UK strain too
- Local officials are urging people who visited N Fox Jewelers in Saratoga Springs between December 18 to December 24 to get tested for the virus
- The new variant has also been confirmed in Colorado, California and Florida
Gov Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced that the first case of the ‘mutant strain’ of COVID-19, which originated in the UK, has been found in a New York man.
Cuomo said the man, who is in his 60s, was diagnosed with the new strain despite having no travel history.
‘The Wadsworth Lab has confirmed New York State’s first case of the UK variant (B.1.1.7) of the virus that causes COVID,’ Cuomo said.
Cuomo said the man is from Saratoga County, New York.
Gov Andrew Cuomo (pictured) on Monday announced that the first case of the ‘mutant strain’ of COVID-19, which originated in the UK, has been found in a New York man
Cuomo said the man, who is in his 60s, was diagnosed with the new strain despite having no travel history. More than 20.6 million cases of the virus have been reported in the US
As of Monday afternoon, the US is reporting a total of 351,590 deaths
According to local reports, the man works at a jewelry store in Saratoga County.
Three other people who work at the store have also tested positive for COVID-19. As of Monday afternoon, it is unclear if they have the UK strain too.
Local officials are urging people who visited N Fox Jewelers in Saratoga Springs between December 18 to December 24 to get tested for the virus.
‘We’re going through the employees of the jewelry store. As it was a retail establishment, we want the cooperation of the public,’ Cuomo said.
The first case of the strain in the US was confirmed last week in a nursing home located in a remote Colorado town.
Colorado’s governor, Jared Polis, confirmed on December 29 that the new virus had been identified in his state, in Elbert County.
On Saturday it was revealed that the first confirmed infection was of a National Guard member in his 20s, who had been assigned to work at the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Simla, to help with their outbreak.
The strain was then found in California and Florida, and it has now made its way to New York.
Data suggests that the variant may have already been present in the US at undetectable levels in recent months, since perhaps as long ago as October.
‘It wouldn’t be at all surprising if at least some of the cases were B117,’ said Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.
Topol’s team on Wednesday confirmed that at least one coronavirus infection in California was caused by the mutant strain.
‘It has probably been here for a while at low levels – but you don’t see it until you look for it.’
Florida became the third state in the US to confirm a case of the mutant strain of COVID-19.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed the diagnosis on Thursday night. Officials said the man is in his 20s, lives in Martin County and has no history of travel.
The strain is thought to be 70 per cent more transmissible than the original.