South African coronavirus variant detected in California for first time

Thirty labs across the state are working to sequence genomes and potentially uncover additional cases of variants, Governor Newsom said.

Two cases of coronavirus strains first detected in South Africa have been reported in the US State of California, said Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday (local time).

A healthcare worker administers a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Jesus Huerta outside the Los Angeles Mission located in the Skid Row community in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)

Both cases were identified in the Bay Area, one in Santa Clara and the other in Alameda County, CNN reported.

Thirty labs across the state are working to sequence genomes and potentially uncover additional cases of variants, Governor Newsom said.

According to CNN, the discovery of the South African strain is in addition to 159 cases of the UK variant and 1,203 incidents of the West Coast variants identified thus far in the Golden State.

However, the first two confirmed cases of the variant in the US were detected last month in South Carolina, CNN reported.