65°
An upstate man in his 60s who had been symptomatic is now feeling better, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday, Jan. 4.
The man works at N. Fox Jewelers on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, which has been closed since Thursday, Dec. 24.
The state is asking anyone who visited the store from Friday, Dec. 18 to Christmas Eve Day to get tested and notify state or local health authorities.
"Because the virus strain is more transmittable, it could lead to a higher infection rate and possibly a higher hospitalization rate," Cuomo said. "I ask New Yorkers to continue to do what is proven to reduce the spread. Wear a mask, social distance and be cautious."
As with the six other confirmed cases in the United States, the man did not travel recently, meaning he became infected through community spread.
The first case in the United States was identified in Colorado on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 29.
The man is in his early 20s is a Colorado National Guardsman who had been assigned to assist a nursing home struggling with a COVID outbreak
On Wednesday, Dec. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom reported the second US case of the variant strain was confirmed in a person in the southern part of the state whose age and gender were not revealed.
On Thursday, Dec. 31, Florida confirmed a case of the variant strain, identifying the person as a man is in his 20s, who lives in Martin County, and has no history of travel.
Later that day, California officials confirmed three more people have been infected with the virus variant. That brings the total number of known cases of the "Super Strain" in the US to six.
The strain was discovered in the United Kingdom before spreading to other European nations.
The UK variant has also been detected in Canada as well as Australia.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mount Pleasant and receive free news updates.
