U.K.'s Highly Contagious COVID-19 Strain Found In New Mexico

Over 12 states have confirmed they have at least one case of the B117 coronavirus variant, the highly contagious COVID strain discovered in the U.K. According to Denver 7 News, those states include:

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Minnesota
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Wisconsin

Yesterday it was confirmed that the highly contagious U.K. COVID-19 strain, known as the B117 variant, has been found in New Mexico. A Bernalillo County man has tested positive for the B117 strain of the coronavirus. The man, in his 60s, traveled to the U.K. in December and is currently at home recovering. His symptoms were said to have been mild and he did not require hospitalization, per KOAT News in New Mexico.

The B117 COVID variant is described as highly contagious and spreads more easily in communities, but doesn't seem to be more lethal than the other strains being seen across the world. The B117 strain has been attributed to the skyrocketing cases of COVID-19 in the country and officials have been considering tougher lockdowns in the country to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. The U.K. has seen positive cases in the country decline since the end of December, but hospitalizations and deaths have continued to climb due to the earlier surge of cases in that country. You can read more about the new strain and the COVID numbers in the UK on the Daily Mail website.