We can almost see the finish line, the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s so close we can almost taste it.
The vaccine has been approved and sent all over the world already reaching over a million people. The elderly, frontline workers, politicians, and many others have received the vaccine and soon it will be available for the general public.
And just when we thought it was within reach, another huge roadblock stops our progress dead in its tracks.
Scientists have discovered a new variant of the highly contagious virus that made its way all the way to Colorado from across the pond in England.
Colorado public health officials on Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. case of the new highly contagious strain of the coronavirus that was first discovered in Britain weeks ago, prompting a new set of lockdowns there.
A state lab informed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the presence of the strain in a man in his 20s from Elbert County. He has no travel history and is isolating himself until cleared by public health officials, Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
“The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely,” Polis said. “We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels.”
Polis said the man has no close contacts identified thus far but that public health officials were working to find others who were potentially exposed through contact tracing interviews. He said his office will monitor the new case “very closely.”
The discovery of the new strain, called B.1.1.7, in Britain alarmed officials and led to lockdown measures and international travel restrictions in southeastern England amid the holiday season.
More research needs to be done to determine whether or not this particular strain is any deadlier than the original virus that has already caused so much damage, but there is no doubt that it is far more contagious than previous incarnations of the virus.
