London: 30 December 2020: On last day , December 29, Colorado health officials announced the country's first identified case of the COVID-19 variant B117. First discovered months ago in the UK, this variant is believed to be more transmissible than previous strains. It has spread rapidly across the UK and led the government to impose strict Tier 4 lockdowns in London and much of southeast England.

'The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed and notified the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the case,' Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement published to Twitter.The variant was found in a male in his 20s who is now in isolation in Elbert County. According to Polis' statement, the individual 'has no close contacts identified so far, but public health officials are working to identify other potential cases and contacts through thorough contact tracing interviews.'

  Health officials say the new variant is not more deadly, nor is it resistant to current vaccinations.