Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Texas all reported cases Thursday of the coronavirus variant discovered in the United Kingdom.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s office reported that two people between the ages of 15 and 25 tested positive for the strain in Connecticut. Both had traveled recently, one to New York and the other to Ireland, according to health officials.
In Pennsylvania, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that one case had been detected in Dauphin County. The individual tested positive for COVID-19 after a known international exposure to the virus.
The variant, called SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7, is believed to be 50% to 70% more transmissible. It was detected in November of last year and led to a number of nations instituting restrictions on travel to and from the U.K.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a lockdown for the U.K. on Monday in response to surging cases of COVID-19. The lockdown is expected to last until Feb. 15.
In Texas, the first case of the variant was detected in a man in Harris County. According to state health officials and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the man had not traveled recently, meaning that the strain is likely already circulating in Texas.
According to most experts, the new strain does not cause more severe COVID-19 and vaccines that are currently being distributed should combat it.
The first case of the new strain in the United States was detected in Colorado in late December.
