First case of UK COVID-19 strain found in Georgia

Georgia officials said Tuesday that they had detected the first confirmed case of the new, more infectious strain of COVID-19 that was first identified in the U.K.

Local news affiliate Fox 5 reported that the strain was detected in a test sample provided by an 18-year-old with no travel history, suggesting that the new strain is already spreading on its own throughout the U.S.

“The emergence of this variant in our state should be a wake-up call for all Georgians,” state Department of Public Health Commissioner Katheen Toomey reportedly said.

“Even as we begin rollout of a COVID19 vaccine, we must not let down our guard and ignore basic prevention measures — wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands frequently,” Toomey added.

The spread of the new strain, which U.K. health officials have blamed for a skyrocketing number of new COVID-19 cases in the country, forced British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to institute a second round of lockdown measures for England while Scottish and Northern Irish officials moved to implement similar measures the same day.

“We need to do more, together, to bring this new variant under control,” Johnson said Monday.