SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The UK variant of COVID-19 first detected in the US Tuesday has been found in San Diego County, health officials say.
According to County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, the case was identified in a man in his 30s who began showing symptoms on December 27 and was tested on December 29.
Fletcher said the man had no travel history. “We believe this is not an isolated case in San Diego County, and there are probably other cases of the same strain in San Diego County,” he continued.
The man was not hospitalized. One person within his household showed symptoms and is being tested, officials said, adding that contacting tracing is underway.
“Detecting this lineage here doesn’t really change what we’re doing here, it just means we need to do it better,” says Dr. Kristian Andersen, of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research. “We need to prepare this probably what we’re going to see in the following months,” Dr. Andersen added.
Governor Gavin Newsom said during a Wednesday news conference that the variant was found in Southern California, but didn't specify a more specific area.
According to experts, the variant is no more dangerous than the original virus, but is more easily transmitted.
The variant was first found in Colorado Tuesday.
Dr. Fauci said Wednesday he wasn’t surprised the variant was found in the US. "I don't think Californians should feel this is something odd," Fauci said. "This is something expected."
