A man in the state of Colorado on Tuesday became the first American infected with the new variant of the coronavirus that has swept through the United Kingdom and has since been reported from around the world, including India, leading to a new round of lockdowns and global travel restrictions.
Scientists have found this variant more transmissible but not more harmful.
The infected man is in his 20s and has no recent history of travel. State officials have said he is a resident of Elbert County, which is about 50 miles from Denver, the state capital, and has been put in isolation and officials are tracking all those who may have come in contact with him.
“Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the Covid-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK,” said Colorado governor Jared Polis in a tweet. “The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will monitor this case, as well as all Covid-19 indicators, very closely.”
This new coronavirus strain was first detected in southeastern England and spread rapidly, accounting for a fourth of all cases in London. It has since been detected in India, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan, Singapore and several other countries.
Scientists say viruses are known to mutate and multiple strains of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 are currently circulating globally. “In the United Kingdom, a new variant has emerged with an unusually large number of mutations,” said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the key agency monitoring and combating infectious diseases. “This variant seems to spread more easily and quickly than other variants. Currently, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death.”
{{/usCountry}}Scientists say viruses are known to mutate and multiple strains of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 are currently circulating globally. “In the United Kingdom, a new variant has emerged with an unusually large number of mutations,” said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the key agency monitoring and combating infectious diseases. “This variant seems to spread more easily and quickly than other variants. Currently, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death.”
{{/usCountry}}Scientists do not know yet how wide is the spread of the new strain, or how different its impact is as compared to other variants. They are currently studying if it causes milder or more severe illnesses, if it can be detected using the same testing kits and how it responds to medicines currently in use and whether it would require changing the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines being circulated or on their way, said the CDC.
There is no evidence yet that the new strain is resistant to current vaccines.
Another variant of the coronavirus has been detected in South Africa, emerging independently of the UK strain. Yet another mutation has been detected in Nigeria.
India is among a growing list of countries — more than 40 — that have imposed travel restrictions to and from the United Kingdom, which in turn has also announced curbs on South Africa flights. Restrictions have been under discussions in the United States but so far only New York, which has been the epicentre of the American outbreak, has announced rules mandating quarantine for travellers from the UK, punishable with fines.
Public health officials in the United States, the country worst hit by the pandemic, are watching the new variant closely as they brace for a massive winter surge from the strain that has killed more than 338,000 people and infected close to 20 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
More 3,700 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours and 201,000 new infections.