Oregon officials on Saturday announced the state’s second known case of the contagious strain of the coronavirus that rapidly swept through the United Kingdom.
The Oregon Health Authority said it was notified Friday that someone in Yamhill County tested positive for the variant COVID-19 strain, which is known as B.1.1.7. The person has no known travel history, officials said.
Public health officials are investigating the person’s possible sources of infection.
A University of Portland employee last week became the first Oregonian identified with the new, more contagious strain of coronavirus.
Federal officials say the strain is far more transmissible than the standard coronavirus and will likely make up a bulk of U.S. infections by March.
Vaccines approved for the coronavirus are thought to work just as effectively against the new strain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 195 known cases of the variant strain nationwide Friday. That figure does not include Oregon’s second case.
— The Oregonian/OregonLive
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