NEW YORK (WKBW) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday the Wadsworth Lab has confirmed the UK strain of COVID-19 has been found in Saratoga County.
The governor said a 60-year-old man from Saratoga County tested positive for the UK strain of COVID-19, he appears to be on the mend.
Cuomo said the man has not traveled recently so it is believed this was an instance of community spread.
NEW: The Wadsworth Lab has confirmed New York State’s first case of the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7) of the virus that causes COVID.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 4, 2021
An individual from Saratoga County, New York, tested positive for the strain. The individual had no known travel history.
The man is affiliated with a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs. Three other people from the jewelry store tested positive for COVID-19, although it is unknown at this time if those cases are also the UK strain.
The jewelry store, N. Fox Jewelers at 404 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, was closed from December 24 through today. Officials ask those who visited the store from December 18 until the closure on December 24 to get tested.
The governor said initial research shows that the UK strain of COVID-19 is 70% more contagious than the normal COVID strain. The UK strain has been identified in other states and countries.
According to officials initial research shows the UK strain is not resistant to the vaccine, the symptoms are not more severe and it is not more deadly than the normal COVID strain.
