NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — 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.