First known U.S. case of highly infectious coronavirus variant found in Colorado

FILE PHOTO: Travelers wearing protective face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walk after departing a flight at the airport in Denver, Colorado, U.S., November 24, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

Colorado has discovered a case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said on Tuesday, the first known case in the United States.

"Today we discovered Colorado’s first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the UK," Polis said on Twitter.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Tim Ahmann)