New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wears a protective mask when he arrives to speak during a daily briefing after the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manhattan in New York City, New York, USA , July 13, 2020.
Facebook Facebook logo Sign in with Facebook to connect with Mike Segar Reuters
New York State has confirmed its first case of a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus that was initially discovered in the UK, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.
The strain, which has also been found in California, Florida and Colorado, is believed to be more transmissible, but does not appear to make people sicker or increase the risk of death from Covid-19, experts said.
The case was identified in a 60-year-old man from Saratoga County who had no travel history, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters. The man, who is now recovering, was working in a jewelry store where three other people have also tested positive for Covid-19. The state is investigating whether these cases were caused by the new strain.
Cuomo told reporters that the state has conducted some 5,000 tests in search of the new variant, known as B.1.1.7. Cuomo said he believes it is “much more” widespread than people already know.
“If other states could test as much as we tried and test the UK strain as much as we tested, they would find them,” Cuomo said, adding that officials have not yet detected any cases with the strain in the city area. of New York.
U.S. health officials have said the arrival of the variant in the country is not a surprise, though it could make things worse if it is allowed to spread uncontrollably.
While the new variant does not appear to cause more serious illness in infected people and current vaccines should continue to work against it, it could lead to more hospitalizations as a result of an increase in cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. of US Diseases. last week. The United States is also on alert for a second new, highly infectious strain found for the first time in South Africa, similar to that in the United Kingdom, CDC officials said.
“Increasing infection is a problem, but increasing the hospitalization rate changes the game, because if a hospital capacity is in jeopardy in a region, that region should close,” Cuomo said. to journalists.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has now confirmed six cases of the new variant, all in the southern part of the state. A person in San Diego County has been hospitalized, he said.
“Let’s imagine, in fact, that we just have to anticipate that there will be others identified,” Newsom told a news conference.
State officials are expected to report by the end of Tuesday on the California genomic tests, which are being conducted to “more fully understand the appearance of this strain and what it has been doing,” he said. Newsom. He said state health officials are making efforts to track contacts.
CDC now requires all airline passengers traveling to the United States from the United Kingdom to present prior to boarding the test of a negative Covid-19 test performed no more than three days prior to their departure.
On Monday in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national closure order in England until at least mid-February in hopes of halting the spread of the new variant. He said the nation’s top medical agents believe the strain is between 50% and 70% more transmissible compared to previous versions.
“With most of the country already under extreme measures, it is clear that we need to do more together to control this new variant while our vaccines are rolled out,” Johnson said during a television ad.
– CNBC Riya Bhattacharjee has contributed to this report.