NEW YORK (WKBW) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday that three new cases of the UK COVID-19 strain have been found in New York State.
The governor said that two of those cases were connected to the original case in the state in Saratoga Springs, while another was found in Nassau County.
"The UK strain is here, it is real, and the Usain Bolt-like speed through which it spreads is nothing short of frightening," Governor Cuomo said. "There's no mystery as to how it got here - it got on a plane and flew here from Europe, just like the original strain did. Yet, the federal government continues to refuse to learn from the spring and mandate testing for all international travelers. Their failure to act means the rest of us need to be that much more vigilant in our work to stop the spread, as well as do all we can to accelerate the distribution of the vaccine. In the meantime, Wadsworth Lab will continue to aggressively sequence samples from around the state, so that any more instances of the UK strain can be identified, and immediately contained and contact traced."
So far no one in Western New York has been tested positive for the UK strain of COVID-19.
