COVID-19 in Pa: Philadelphia woman diagnosed with British variant of COVID-19

HARRISBURG, PA (WPVI) – A woman in the Philadelphia region has discovered a variant of COVID-19 that was first identified in the UK.

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

Officials say the patient, a woman in her fifties, began experiencing symptoms during the last week of December and was briefly hospitalized.

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

The two health departments say they work together to track contacts.

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

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said that while the variant has not yet been shown to be more contagious than others, research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seems to show that it is. .

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

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