Florida reports first case of contagious new strain of coronavirus



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Florida health officials said Thursday they have detected the new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus, making it the third U.S. state to report an instance of the virus variant.

The new strain was first discovered in the UK.

“Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the UK variant of COVID-19 in Martin County. The individual is a male in his twenties with no travel history. The Department is working with the CDC on this investigation. We all encourage everyone to continue practicing COVID-19 mitigation, ”the Florida Department of Health said on Twitter on Thursday.

Colorado and California both detected cases of the strain this week.

The new strain, called B.1.1.7, was first detected in Colorado on Tuesday and found in a man in his twenties who had not traveled.

A California health official announced on Wednesday that the patient infected with the new strain was a 30-year-old man and had no travel history, according to Politico.

The Florida Department of Health added, “At this time, experts predict little to no impact on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Experts in health and pharmaceutical companies have said that current vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna will be effective against the new strain, although more tests are underway to confirm its effectiveness.

Although it is more contagious, it is not believed to cause more severe symptoms or be more fatal.



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