First Variant Virus Case in US Has No Travel History...Concerns Over Community Spread

Colorado Health Authorities "Second Suspected Infection Case Occurs"
CDC "May Have Already Spread Across the US"...Transmission Rate Up 70%

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the first case of infection with a new variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) discovered in the United States was found to have no travel history, suspicions are growing that the variant virus may have already spread within the U.S. community. With the COVID-19 outbreak already raging fiercely in the U.S., health authorities are highly concerned that the variant virus could further accelerate the spread.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP) on the 29th (local time), the Colorado Department of Public Health announced that the man in his 20s from Colorado, reported as the first case of the variant virus in the U.S., has no travel history. Despite having no history of visiting the United Kingdom, the variant virus identical to the UK-origin variant was found, raising concerns that it may have already spread in the community.

Especially with the emergence of a second suspected infected person, suspicions of community spread are deepening. The Colorado Department of Public Health stated that the infected individual is currently isolated in Elbert County, located southeast of Denver, Colorado, and that a second suspected infected person was found in a village within this county, with infection status under investigation.

U.S. health experts believe that the variant virus may have spread from travelers returning from the UK since last month. Dr. Trevor Bedford, who researches COVID-19 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, explained in an interview with AP, "The discovery of the variant virus in a person without travel history likely means that the variant virus may have spread from travelers returning from the UK in November or December." The Washington Post (WP) also cited an anonymous official saying that the variant virus "can be expected to be found elsewhere as well."

With the cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S. already approaching 20 million, there are concerns of greater damage if the variant virus, which spreads more than 70% faster than the general COVID-19 virus, continues to spread. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in a statement on the day, "Since the variant virus is spreading in the UK and travel between the UK and the U.S. continues, it is highly likely that the variant virus has been introduced," adding, "It may have already spread within the U.S. even though it had not been confirmed until now."