U.K. COVID-19 Variant Surges In Florida With More Than 300 Cases

FLORIDA — The number of confirmed cases of the mutated coronavirus strain that originated in the United Kingdom continues to increase in Florida.

As of Tuesday, there are 343 cases of the U.K. COVID-19 variant called B.1.1.7 in the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The state with the second-highest number of cases — 156 — is California. New York trails behind them with 59 cases. All other states have under 50 cases.

There are 932 total cases of the strain in the United States across 34 states. Fifteen states haven't reported any cases yet.

This new coronavirus variant is thought to be more contagious than the original, the CDC said.

“The emerging variants CDC is closely monitoring have mutations in the virus genome that alter the characteristics and cause the virus to act differently in ways that are significant to public health (e.g., causes more severe disease, spreads more easily between humans, requires different treatments, changes the effectiveness of current vaccines). It’s important to understand that genetic mutations are expected, and some variants can spread and become predominant while others subside,” according to the CDC website.

The U.K. variant’s Florida surge comes at a time when the overall number of new coronavirus cases is starting to slow in the Sunshine State.

According to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, 7,458 new cases were reported Tuesday. This brings the state’s total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 1,798,280.

William Lee, vice president of science at Helix, a testing company working with health officials to track COVID-19 variants, told the Miami Herald that the variant represents between 10 and 15 percent of new cases in Florida.

“That’s up from like half a percent in the beginning of January…That’s a big increase,” he said.

He estimates that the U.K. strain is between 35 and 45 percent more transmissible than the original virus, adding that it doubles every week.

The variant emerged in the United States at the end of December, first appearing in Colorado. Florida’s first case was confirmed Dec. 31. The patient was a male in his 20s with no history of travel, the state Department of Health said.

The CDC has indicated that the B.1.1.7 could become the predominant coronavirus strain in the United States by March.