 "First case of new coronavirus variant detected in US state Colorado")
The US state of Colorado has detected the first known case of the mutated novel coronavirus (COVD-19) variant originally found in the United Kingdom, state's Governor Jared Polis said on Tuesday.
"Today we discovered Colorado's first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK," Polis said in the statement, a copy of which was posted on Twitter.
Governor Polis said that the health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators.
After the new variant was detected, the Colorado State Laboratory confirmed and notified the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the case.
"There is a lot we don't know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it significantly more contagious," Polis added.
Amid the continuing pandemic, the new strain of coronavirus first found in the UK has caused a stir as it is reported to be more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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The variant has now been detected in multiple countries around the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the US continues to the worst affected country by the pandemic with 19,521,613 and 337,829 deaths.