Case Of New Coronavirus Variant From UK Is Found In Queens: Mayor
QUEENS, NY — A case of a highly-transmissible coronavirus variant from the United Kingdom has been reported in Queens, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The Queens case is one of 12 that have been found so far in New York State, city and state officials said. Only one other case — an individual in Manhattan — has been reported in New York City.
"Both were diagnosed in late December with genetic sequencing," Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said Wednesday of the New York City cases. "That's the special testing that's done to identify the variant, returning results just within the last few hours."
De Blasio said one of the two people had recently traveled to the UK, which recently entered a strict round of new lockdowns to slow the new strain's spread, but he did not specify whether it was the Queens or Manhattan individual.
The strain's emergence in the city showed the continued need for harsh restrictions on travel from the UK, de Blasio said.
"I'm very concerned about this variant," he said. "This is why we need a travel ban immediately."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday revealed that officials identified 12 new UK variant cases across the state.
He repeated fears that the strain — which spreads far faster than the initial wave of coronavirus that prompted continued varying degrees of restrictions — could outpace the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Patch editor Matt Troutman contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on the Queens Patch
