New Jersey recorded its first death from the highly contagious UK version of COVID-19.
The unidentified resident succumbed to the virus on Wednesday, State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli confirmed at a news conference.
The victim had “significant underlying health conditions,” but no history of international travel. Their age has not been released.
The British variant of coronavirus, known as B 1.1.7 and nicknamed “Super-COVID”, is feared to be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the general coronavirus strain.
On Wednesday, six new cases of Super-COVID were confirmed in New Jersey, with the ages of those testing positive ranging from 10 to 65. Only one has recently traveled abroad. The New Jersey Department of Health did not disclose which country the person had traveled to.
Currently, there are at least 329 confirmed cases of Super-COVID in the United States, including at least 92 in California and Florida, respectively.
Initially, the mutation was simply feared to be more contagious than the common COVID-19 infection. However, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that he now fears it could also be 30 percent more deadly.
Dr. Anthony Fauci had the same feeling last Wednesday, telling NBC’s Today: “I am convinced that there is a growing degree of serious infection that we really need to look at.”
Earlier this month, a 40-year-old Texas woman died of the Super-COVID strain just days after she was hospitalized.
New Jersey recorded its first death from the highly contagious UK version of COVID-19. A patient is being photographed treating the disease at a New Jersey hospital earlier this month
New York has confirmed at least 22 cases of the variant, with Governor Andrew Cuomo expressing frustration that nothing is known about it yet.
Super-COVID is one of several new strains of coronavirus detected in recent weeks.
At least two American variants of American origin have been confirmed in Ohio, while another has been detected in Illinois.
Another mutation first detected in Brazil, known as E484K, was detected on US shores. In addition, a variant known as 1452R, first seen in Denmark, is said to account for up to 50% of cases in California.
On Thursday, a highly contagious strain native to South Africa was first confirmed in the United States.
Two South Carolina people tested positive for the mutation – known as variant B. 1,351 – despite not traveling outside the country. This has raised fears that the strain is already spreading widely in the community.
“We don’t know exactly what’s going on with the new strains,” Governor Cuomo told reporters in a briefing Wednesday.
“The concept of not knowing is very worrying for me.”
A coronavirus testing site is being done in Paramus, New Jersey. Six additional cases of Super-COVID were confirmed Wednesday in Garden State
It is currently believed that COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Morderna will be effective in the short term against confirmed mutations in the US.
Scientists are now struggling to invent “booster shots” amid fears that mutations could eventually diminish the ability of vaccine-induced antibodies to neutralize coronavirus.
President Biden has temporarily banned flights from South Africa and again imposed restrictions on those entering the United States from the United Kingdom after Donald Trump promised to lift them in his last days in office.
“We have determined that it is in the interest of the United States to take measures to restrict and suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or non-immigrants, of U.S. citizens (” non-citizens “) who were physically present in the Schengen Area ( Europe), the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of South Africa within 14 days prior to their entry or attempt to enter the United States, ”said Biden.
In a separate executive order, Biden stated that passengers from all other countries arriving in the US must be “required to provide proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test prior to entry” and “comply with other applicable CDC guidelines,” including recommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after entry ‘.
Meanwhile, the CDC is “actively considering” new measures for Americans flying between states, as the number of coronavirus cases remains stubbornly high.
A new proposal states that passengers should have a negative COVID-19 test before boarding planes flying domestically.
It is happening while the launch of the vaccine in the country continues to lag behind.
Vaccinations began five weeks ago, but only 6.2% of the US population received the first doses of two-dose vaccines, either Pfizer or Moderna. This means that about 20.7 million have received at least one dose of vaccine.
About 3.8 million people have been completely vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of Friday, 25.5 million Americans tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 429,000 died.
President Biden predicts that the death toll will rise to more than half a million deaths next month.
Earlier on Wednesday, drivers were seen waiting in line at the COVID-19 mega vaccination site which was set up in the Dodger Stadium car park.
