Cuomo On UK Coronavirus Variant: 'If It's Here, I Want To Know'

LONG ISLAND, NY — U.S. officials believe a new, more highly transmissible strain of the coronavirus seen in the United Kingdom could already be in the United States — and testing for the variant has begun at New York hospitals, including some on Long Island.

"If the variant is here, I want to know," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

The complex test for the variant will be rolled out at hospitals statewide, including Northwell Health facilities on Long Island. Wadsworth Laboratory partnered with six hospitals statewide to obtain samples. Wadsworth has looked at more than 3,700 virus sequences identified in New York but has yet to find the U.K. variant present in any of the samples, Cuomo said.

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

Cuomo called for mandatory testing for those heading from the U.K. to the United States before they board the plane. On Monday, British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic agreed to add New York State to the list of 120 countries asking that U.K. travelers have a negative test before getting on planes bound for the United States.

"The U.K. variant is a real issue — not only is it believed to be 70 percent more contagious than previous strains, but there is a very real chance it is already here. Upon learning of this new variant, we immediately worked with airlines to ensure that anyone getting on a plane from the U.K. bound for New York tests negative, but we need federal action, and we need it now," Cuomo said. "We know that the virus originally got on a plane and came to New York from Europe in the spring. It's inexcusable that the federal government has failed to learn that lesson, and we need them to do the smart thing and institute testing requirements for travelers entering the United States from any country."

He added that not to test would be "gross negligence."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, doesn't think a travel ban is necessary, Cuomo said. "He does think that testing would be appropriate, but not a ban."

Speaking about vaccines, Cuomo said that so far, 50,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered statewide. He called on medical personnel at hospitals and nursing homes to continue the vaccinations over the holidays. New York has received 630,000 doses and expects to receive another 300,000 doses next week, Cuomo said.

There is no politics involved in vaccine administration, Cuomo said. "Nobody can put you in the front of the line," he said. "It's all done by the hospital system."

He added that New York residents must resolve to remain smart and focused over the holidays, adhering to social distancing mandates.