First Case Of U.K. Coronavirus Strain Identified In New York

NEW YORK — The first case of the United Kingdom strain of the coronavirus, which experts believe may be up to 70 percent more transmissible, has been identified in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Cuomo said Wadsworth Laboratory confirmed a man in his 60s in Saratoga Springs contracted the U.K. strain of the virus. The man is affiliated with N. Fox Jewelers at 404 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, officials said. He was symptomatic and is now on the mend and doing better, Cuomo said. The man did not travel recently, which indicates he likely contracted the virus from someone in his community.

Three other coronavirus cases were identified in the jewelry store, but it is not yet clear if they are the U.K. strain, officials said. Cuomo said anyone who visited the store from Dec. 18 to Dec. 24 should be tested. Contact tracing is ongoing and, because the case was tied to a retail establishment, the state notified the public.

The U.K., or B.1.1.7 variant, strain of the coronavirus, has been identified in California, Colorado, Florida and 33 countries, Cuomo said.

"I think it is much more widespread than people know," Cuomo said.

With multiple countries testing the virus, none have found it more deadly than the initial strain of the coronavirus or resistant to the vaccine. However, because it is more highly transmissible, it could send more people to the hospital, exacerbating capacity limits.

Testing for the strain is a "very protracted" process, Cuomo said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires two weeks to test, but Wadsworth Laboratory can do the test in 40 hours. So far in New York, about 5,000 tests for the new strain have been done, he said.

The complex test for the variant was rolled out at hospitals statewide, including Northwell Health facilities on Long Island, Cuomo said in late December. Wadsworth Laboratory partnered with six hospitals statewide to obtain samples.

Wadsworth and the state Department of Health inked agreements with six hospitals statewide to garner additional samples and will work with other hospitals to do the same. Hospitals with agreements include Northwell Health on Long Island, Montefiore, Memorial Sloan Kettering, University of Rochester, Albany Medical Center and Saratoga Hospital.

Cuomo also called for mandatory testing for air travelers heading from the U.K. to New York before they board planes.