3 people infected with the variant of coronavirus from Great Britain in Fresno county

FRESNO, California (KFSN) – Health officials say they have discovered the first known cases of the UK coronavirus variant in Fresno County.

In a media briefing on Friday afternoon, officials from the Department of Public Health in Fresno County said they were informed by the state that three people tested positive for the coronavirus variant in the UK or “B.1.1.7”, as is officially known.

In the briefing, health officials acknowledged that the three cases are probably “just the tip of the iceberg” and there are probably many more cases of these strains that cause cases of COVID in Fresno County.

Health department contact locators have already contacted all people infected with the variant and are working to isolate people they may have come in contact with.

B.1.1.7 is one of the so-called “concerns” and has been found to be 40 to 80 percent more transmissible. It was first detected in the United Kingdom, where it spread rapidly and caused a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Stay tuned to ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.