New Coronavirus Strain Arrives In NJ

NEW JERSEY - It has been nearly two weeks since Gov. Phil Murphy told residents they should assume a quicker-spreading strain of the coronavirus is in New Jersey. And on Friday, he confirmed it was.

There are two confirmed cases of a COVID-19 variant strain in the Garden State, Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said during Friday's coronavirus briefing.

She said the first case involves an Ocean County resident in his 60s who had no travel history nor clear exposure to others who were ill.

The man developed symptoms that were compatible COVID-19 on Dec. 29th, and he was tested with a PCR test on Jan 6 at a commercial lab, she said.

The symptoms have since "resolved" and the man was never hospitalized, she said.

The other variant case involved a young traveler staying in North Jersey who tested in New York City on Jan. 11th. The person was asymptomatic.

The variant, first seen in the United Kingdom, is about 50 percent more contagious than the wild-type virus we have been seeing, according to David Cennimo, a pediatric infectious disease expert and assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

There are other variants in South Africa, Brazil and possibly in the United States but that data is still being gathered. More recently, novel variants are being reported developing within the United States as would also be expected, Cennimo said.

The variant spreads faster but does not present itself as more virulent, and there is no evidence that it makes people sicker. The current vaccines are effective against the variant, officials said.

Murphy said this was an expected development, but he's said the variant's presence reinforces the need to improve the federal government's vaccine distribution. Read more: New NJ COVID Vaccine Phone Number As State 'Peaks' In Second Wave

"We've been operating under the assumption that it is here, and this is confirmation of that," Murphy said. "And that number is only going to go up."

Murphy has urged residents this week to take precautions and continue to wear masks and social distance since the new variant is "significantly more contagious" than the coronavirus strain that arrived in the United States last year.

In the United Kingdom, lockdowns have recently been imposed to combat the new variant's spread.

Earlier this month, the first case of the new strain was discovered in Pennsylvania. Read more: 1st Case Of New Coronavirus Strain Confirmed In PA

The confirmed case is in Dauphin County, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said. "This variant is the same one that was first discovered in England in December," according to the department's release.

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