First case of U.K. variant of COVID-19 found in Peterborough area

Peterborough Public Health has confirmed an area resident has tested positive for the U.K. variant of the novel coronavirus.

On Tuesday morning, the health unit says the resident tested positive for B.1.1.7, which is a variant first detected in the United Kingdom. B.1.1.7 is one of a number of so-called “variants of concern” or VoCs to have been identified since the pandemic began a year ago.

Read more: Variant from U.K. could ‘threaten vaccination’ and ‘sweep the world’: expert

The health unit revealed the case involves a man in his 20s who works from home and is self-isolating.

“Contact tracing is underway, and it appears his exposure was from a roommate who was identified as a high-risk contact of another VoC case from another region,” the health unit said. “This roommate has since left the Peterborough area.”

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The health unit says there is one other high-risk contact connected with the household who tested negative. The individual will be retested again in 10 days.

“With this confirmation of a variant of concern, following public health measures has never been more important as variants of concern have a higher rate of transmissibility than the dominant COVID-19 strain,” said Dr…

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From Global News - February 24, 2021