US confirms first case of new COVID-19 strain in Colorado

WASHINGTON – The US state of Colorado has recorded what is believed to be America's first case of the particularly infectious coronavirus variant that emerged recently in Britain.

"Today we discovered Colorado's first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK," state governor Jared Polis tweeted.

Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK.

The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely. pic.twitter.com/fjyq7QhzBi

— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) December 29, 2020

He attached an official statement from his office and state health officials that said the individual is a "male in his 20s who is currently in isolation in Elbert County and has no travel history." The individual had no close contacts, the statement said, but the situation will continue to be monitored "very closely" and authorities are working to identify other potential cases through contact tracing.

Fears have been raised by the new strain of Covid-19, which experts say is potentially more transmissible.

More than 3,000 cases of the variant have already been reported in the UK and dozens of countries in Europe and around the world, according to the EU health agency ECDC.

The United States has suffered the highest death toll of the year-old pandemic that has claimed more than 1.78 million lives globally.

The Trump administration had predicted that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of December.

With days left, some 2.1 million have received the first shot of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.