BOSTON (WHDH) - The first case of the COVID-19 variant initially discovered in the United Kingdom has been found in Massachusetts after a woman traveled to the United Kingdom, state officials said Sunday.
A Boston woman in her 20s developed coronavirus symptoms in early January and tested positive for the virus, according to the Department of Public Health. The CDC tested a genetic sample and determined it contained the variant, DPH officials said.
The woman had traveled to the United Kingdom and tested negative for COVID-19 before returning to the U.S., officials said. The woman became ill the day after she returned and contract tracers identified close contacts at the time, and are now re-interviewing the woman, officials said.
The CDC has reported 88 cases of the variant in 14 states so far.
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