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Chris Smith
Guest
- Health officials from Colorado confirmed that a man in his 20s was infected with the UK coronavirus mutation that the science community has been buzzing about.
- The man has no travel history and it’s unclear how he contracted B.1.1.7, the mutated strain that was recently discovered in the UK.
- These findings indicate the UK coronavirus mutation is already spreading in US communities, and experts expect to see more cases in the coming weeks and months.
The UK reported more than 53,000 new cases on Tuesday, a new record for the country. The previous record was just one day earlier on Monday when more than 41,000 COVID-19 cases were reported. The country began a soft lockdown in the weeks preceding Christmas, with the government setting stricter regulations to limit the spread of the virus. Britain seemed to be flattening its curve, averaging between 15,000 and 20,000 daily cases in the first week of December. But then the news came from health officials that a new COVID-19 strain was detected in the southern part of the country, including London. The B.1.1.7 version carries 17 mutations, including eight found at the spike protein level. The UK mutation was found to be more infectious than other strains, prompting many European governments to halt travel from the country.
Dr. Anthony Fauci advised against such drastic measures, saying that testing of travelers might be the better choice. He also speculated that the strain might already be spreading in the US. Indeed, many countries detected B.1.1.7 even after the travel bans were put in place. The strain was first found in September, so it had plenty of time to spread in Britain and other nations.
Now, officials in Colorado have confirmed the first recorded COVID-19 case in America that was caused by the UK mutation. The mutation might be more infectious, but the good news is that it doesn’t cause more severe COVID-19, and it’s not more lethal than other strains. But unfortunately, the first US case is of the worst possible variety.
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UK coronavirus mutation was found in the US – but that’s not the worst part originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 30 Dec 2020 at 11:35:19 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Via BRG - Boy Genius Report