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Missouri reports 1st UK variant of COVID-19

COVID-19
Posted at 9:27 PM, Feb 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-06 22:27:13-05

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri has reported its first case of the United Kingdom variant of COVID-19.

The Department of Health and Senior Services announced Saturday night that an adult in Marion County contracted the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 611 cases of this strain of the virus across 33 states as of Feb. 4.

“According to the CDC, this particular variant is associated with increased transmissibility, meaning it can spread more quickly,” the release stated. “Early reports found no evidence to suggest that this variant has any impact on the severity of disease or vaccine efficacy.”

Marion County is roughly 207 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas reported on Wednesday its first case of the UK variant.

Reports of this version of the virus began being reported in the United States in December, but was first detected in the United Kingdom in September.