New York has reported its first confirmed case of the U.K. coronavirus variant in a man who has no recent travel history.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the case of the B.1.1.7 variant was confirmed by the Wadsworth Lab, and involves a man in the Saratoga area who is in his 60s. The man was symptomatic.
The man did not travel recently, Cuomo said, suggesting that the case is potentially the result of community spread.
CUOMO BLAMES HOSPITALS FOR SLOW VACCINE ROLLOUT
Colorado was the first state in the U.S. to report a case of the B.1.1.7 variant late last month. Researchers at the state’s lab had detected the case in a member of the National Guard who was deployed to help Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Simla, where there was a widespread outbreak of coronavirus.
Health experts as well as representatives from Pfizer and BioNTech have previously voiced confidence in the recently-approved vaccine’s ability to protect against the U.K. variant, and have touted mRNA technology’s so-called “flexibility” should the need for changes arise.
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Earlier Monday, Cuomo criticized the state’s slow rollout of its COVID-19 vaccine supply and said that hospitals that fail to use their allotment will potentially face fines by the end of the week.
Fox News’ Kayla Rivas contributed to this report.
