The case appears to be the first known case of that variant in the US
Fauci: US is looking closely at variant of coronavirus that caused alarms in UK
Colorado officials said the man, who has no travel history, is isolated in Elbert County.
“Public health officials are conducting a thorough investigation,” said a press release from the governor’s office. “The person has no close contacts so far, but public health officials are working to identify other possible cases and contacts through in-depth contacts tracing interviews.”
The variants are all the same virus, regardless of their minor genetic differences.
SARS-COV-2 is a respiratory virus, meaning it is transmitted via droplets, so masks and social distance still work to slow transmission regardless of variant.
Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the variety of the strain is something you should “follow very carefully”.
Millions of people have to cancel Christmas plans in the UK as the new COVID-19 strain is causing a rapid spread
The countries of the European Union have banned flights from the UK, and Germany is considering restricting such flights to ensure that a new species sweeping through southern England doesn’t gain a strong foothold on the continent.
Japan sharply tightens the ban on foreign visitors as a precaution against new and potentially more contagious variants of coronavirus
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new variant of the virus is 70% more transmissible than existing strains and appears to be causing the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England.
“There is no indication that it is more deadly or causes more serious disease,” he said, or that vaccines will be less effective against it.
ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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