BOSTON (WHDH) - There have been 44 cases of the UK coronavirus variant and two cases of the South African variant found in Massachusetts since the mutated strains started emerging in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has started tracking cases of the emerging variants, which have mutations in the virus genome that alter the characteristics and cause it to act differently in ways that are significant to public health.
Data collected by the CDC indicates that there have 1,523 cases of the UK variant reported in 42 states and 21 cases of the South African variant reported in 10 states.
Florida, California, and Michigan have reported the most cases of the UK variant, while Maryland has reported the most cases of the South African variant.
The CDC has also started tracking the P.1 variant, which was first detected in Japan and Brazil.
Five total cases of that particular variant have been reported in Minnesota, Oklahoma, Florida, and Maryland.
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