Two cases of the more contagious B117 strain of the novel coronavirus have been found in San Bernardino County. State health officials notified the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health about the detection.
The variant strain has been prevalent in London and southeast England in recent days. The first U.S. case was found in Colorado just a few days ago. Health officials say the cases were collected from one Big Bear area household on December 20th. One of the members of the household had contact with a traveler who returned from the UK in early December.
“Based on the information currently available, we know that the B117 variant strain seems to spread more easily and quickly,” said Dr. Michael Sequeira, County Health Officer. “Therefore, following all safe practices is more important than ever.”
Currently, there is no evidence that these variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death and no indication that the vaccines are less effective on this strain.
