COVID-19: US reports first known case of highly-infectious variant

The first reported US case of the highly-infectious COVID-19 variant that emerged in the UK has been confirmed in the state of Colorado.

The patient, a man in his 20s with no recent travel history, is currently in isolation.

State health officials said they were working to identify contacts and other potential cases of the new variant.

It came as US President-elect Joe Biden criticised the Trump administration's distribution of vaccines.

He said the programme was falling behind schedule.

The US has recorded more than 19 million infections and more than 337,000 deaths from coronavirus, the highest figures in the world.

The new variant is considerably more transmissible than previous strains but not necessarily any more dangerous for those infected.

[Source: BBC]