COVID-19 in Pa: Philadelphia-area woman diagnosed with a UK variant of COVID-19

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (WPVI) – A variant of COVID-19 first identified in the UK has been discovered in a Philadelphia area woman.

The news was announced following an investigation by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Bucks County Health Department.

Officials say the patient, a woman in her 50s, started showing symptoms in the last week of December and was briefly hospitalized.

The woman, who lives in both Philadelphia and Bucks County, is currently recovering.

Both health departments say they are working together to conduct contact tracking.

Scientists in the UK have said there is no evidence that this variant causes more serious disease, but it can spread more easily.

Dr. Thomas Farley, health commissioner, said that while the variant has not yet been proven to be more contagious than others, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s research appears to show that this is the case.

“We are concerned that it has a presence in Philadelphia. Everyone in the area should take this information as a reminder to be even more consistent in wearing masks and keeping their distance from others,” Farley said.

This is the second case of the variant found in Pennsylvania. In the first case, a patient from Dauphin County experienced mild symptoms.