JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The new contagious strain of the coronavirus that has spread like wildfire in Britain has been found in Martin County, Florida. That makes Florida the third state in the United States to report a case of the variant.
The person who tested positive for the strain is a man in 20s and has not recently traveled outside the county or the country, according to the Florida Department of Health.
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Public health officials said the strain is not more deadly or damaging but leads to rapid spread. Officials worry that could lead to more people being infected and increase hospitalizations.
The Florida Health Department and CDC is conducting contract tracing measures to determine how the mutation got here.
All research thus far has shown the FDA-approved vaccines will work on the variant, but additional testing is on-going.