PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- The United States has seen its first confirmed case of the COVID-19 variant that's been spreading in the United Kingdom. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and state health officials announced Tuesday that the patient is a man in his twenties who has not been to the UK.
He is currently in isolation and will remain there until health officials clear him for release.
KYW Medical Editor Dr. Brian McDonough says scientists believe the new virus variant is more contagious than previously identified strains.
"It only makes sense that this virus is now in the United States. It's very hard to control," McDonough said. "This person probably picked it up from some else one who may have traveled or someone who came into contact with someone else who traveled."
Public health officials say the man has no travel history, which indicates that this version of the coronavirus has already been spreading in the United States. They are investigating other potential cases and doing contact tracing to determine the variant's spread in Colorado.
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"The reason there's so much concern about this mutant strain is it spreads more rapidly," McDonough said. "If it gets to more people faster ... our hospitals are going to get more and more crowded."
Pennsylvania health officials have expressed concern about shortages of hospital beds and medical staffing during the December surge in COVID-19 cases.
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McDonough says the variant is probably going to spread increasingly rapidly, and it may edge out the virus we have now because it's more aggressive. However, he explained, just because it's more contagious doesn't mean it will make people sicker.
"There is no reason to think this virus, just because it spreads more rapidly, will do more damage if you're exposed to it. I think that's important," McDonough said.
Health officials say the vaccines being given now are thought to be just as effective against this form of the virus as the original.
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