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PHOENIX – The faster spreading COVID-19 variant has been discovered in Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in a press release Friday night.
AZDHS, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Pinal County Public Health Services, and Arizona State University report that the variant (B.1.1.7) has been confirmed in three test samples from the state.
Although the variant is spreading faster according to the release, studies suggest that the vaccines authorized to combat COVID-19 are still effective against the variant.
It is not known how widely the variant has spread in Arizona according to its release.
The United Kingdom identified the new species in the fall of 2020, and the first case of the variant was discovered in the United States in late December.
Health officials say it’s typical for viruses to change through mutation, with new variants of a virus expected to emerge over time. Some new variants appear and disappear, according to the release, while others appear and hang.
The state’s health department is working with lab and public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control, to monitor the situation, according to the release.
Health officials are asking people to follow mitigation strategies that have been proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including wearing a mask, keeping a physical distance, and washing hands.
Health officials in Arizona reported 5,028 new cases of coronavirus and 203 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
The state’s documented totals have risen to 748,260 infections and 13,022 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.