NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man in Colorado has tested positive for a new, more contagious COVID-19 strain first detected in the United Kingdom, marking the United States' first known case of the variant, officials said Tuesday.
Colorado health officials “discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the U.K,” on Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
The man who tested positive for the strain is in his 20s and has “no travel history,” the governor noted. He is currently isolating in Elbert County.
“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,” Polis said.
Scientists in the U.K. have warned that the new strain is “significantly more contagious,” he added.
In a statement provided to 1010 WINS, New York City's Health Commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, said officials have “heard the warnings loud and clear from the U.K. about this new, likely more transmissible strain of the virus that caused COVID-19.”
“That’s why our laboratory professionals — including the scientists at the New York City Public Health Lab — are testing specimens to search for and to determine what is circulating in New York City,” he added. “This is yet another reminder that the fight against COVID-19 is not yet won.”