WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 has been detected for the first time in the US state of Colorado. The US health authority CDC has been informed, said the office of governor Jared Polis on Tuesday. The coronavirus variant, first discovered in Great Britain, was found in a young man who is currently in isolation and has not recently traveled. It is the first known detection of the mutated virus type in the USA.
The new coronavirus variant may be significantly more contagious than the previously known form. After the mutation became known, most EU states decided to largely restrict travel to and from Great Britain in order to prevent it from spreading. The mutated virus type has also already been detected in Germany./lkl/DP/fba
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