New coronavirus strain: US reports first case of new variant discovered in UK

Colorado has confirmed the US' first known case of the new coronavirus variant, found earlier this month in Britain, according to state Governor Jared Polis.

The COVID-19 variant was identified in a Colorado man in his 20s, with no travel history, Xinhua news agency quoted Governor Polis as saying in a statement on Tuesday. The man is currently in isolation in Elbert County, and will remain until cleared by health officials, according to Polis. Due to the discovery of the new variant, many nations have banned or temporarily suspended flights to and from the UK. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced passengers from London to the US will need a negative coronavirus test from the previous 72 hours.

As of Wednesday, the US, worst-hit nation in the world, has reported a total of 19,299,960 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,34,830 fatalities, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

According to the Biden-Harris transition team, Harris was vaccinated by Patricia Cummings, a clinical nurse manager at the United Medical Centre. In a tweet, Harris said: "Today I got the Covid-19 vaccine. I am incredibly grateful to our frontline health care workers, scientists, and researchers who made this moment possible. "When you're able to take the vaccine, get it. This is about saving lives."

(With inputs from IANS)