The third confirmed variant of coronavirus is reported in Texas

DALLAS – A third confirmed case of a coronavirus variant was reported in Texas on Saturday by Dallas County Health and Human Services.

The agency reported that a 20-year-old man from Dallas with no history of travel outside the United States gave positive results for the variant first identified in the United Kingdom and known as B.1.1.7.

Texas is among a handful of states with at least one known case of the new variant, but health officials say there is no evidence that it would cause more severe disease and that current vaccines are expected to be effective.

“The emergence of strain B.1.1.7, although inevitable, given the mobility of the modern world and the fact that we are a major transport hub, means that there is a strain that is 70% more contagious in our community and will grow rapidly.” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

Texas reported a man in the Houston area as the first case of a person infected with the new variant on January 7.

The state health department reported more than 240,000 new cases and 381 additional deaths on Saturday and more than 2 million cases and more than 31.00 deaths since the pandemic began.