Florida health officials announced on Thursday that they have detected the new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus, making it the third US state to report a copy of the virus variant.
The new species was first found in the United Kingdom.
Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the UK COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a man in his twenties with no travel history. The department is working on this investigation with the CDC. We encourage everyone to continue to practice COVID-19 mitigation, ”the Florida Department of Health said on Twitter on Thursday.
Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the UK COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a man in his twenties with no travel history. The department is working on this investigation with the CDC. We encourage everyone to continue to apply COVID-19 mitigation.
– Florida Dept. Health (@HealthyFla) January 1, 2021
Colorado and California both discovered cases of the species this week.
The new species, dubbed B.1.1.7, was first discovered in Colorado on Tuesday and found in a man in his 20s who hadn’t traveled.
On Wednesday, a California health official announced that the patient infected with the new species was a 30-year-old man, and he had no travel history, according to Politico.
The Florida Health Department added, “At this point, experts expect little to no impact on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Florida has evidence of the first identified case of the UK COVID-19 variant in Martin County. The individual is a man in his twenties with no travel history. The department is working on this investigation with the CDC. We encourage everyone to continue to apply COVID-19 mitigation.
– Florida Dept. Health (@HealthyFla) January 1, 2021
Health experts and pharmaceutical companies have stated that current Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are believed to be effective against the new strain, although more tests are being conducted to confirm their efficacy.
While it is more contagious, it is not believed to cause more serious symptoms or be more deadly.