More contagious COVID-19 variant detected in Wisconsin
FILE - This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, U.S. health regulators OK'd the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The sample will still have to be shipped for processing back to LabCorp, which operates diagnostic labs throughout the U.S.[NIAID-RML via AP]
Wisconsin health officials say a new, more contagious form of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in the state.
The Department of Health Services says the variant was detected through routine genome sequencing of a specimens collected from a positive COVID-19 test in Eau Claire County.
5 cases of new COVID-19 strain found in Minnesota
The variant form of the coronavirus was first discovered in England in November and December last year.
The variant has since turned up in Colorado, California, Florida, Minnesota, New York and Georgia. Health officials say the variant isn’t any deadlier and vaccines should be effective against it.