Two cases of a variant of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom have been confirmed in North Dakota.
The state health department identified both cases yesterday. One individual had recently returned from domestic travel before becoming ill. The other individual was a close contact of the first.
A third individual is also under investigation under suspicion of being positive with the UK variant.
Disease Control Director Kirby Krueger says this strain of coronavirus is thought to be more transmissible, which reinforces the importance of mask wearing, physical distancing, and staying home when sick. He says quarantining after exposure and testing is also key to slowing the spread, as well as getting vaccinated when it’s your turn.
Preliminary studies have suggested vaccines are effective against the UK variant of COVID-19.
To date, the CDC has confirmed 1,173 cases of the variant in 41 states.
