BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Two cases of the COVID-19 P.1 variant have been identified in Boulder County and are the first cases of that variant found in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said on Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified CDPHE of the two cases of the P.1 variant, which was originally detected among travelers from Brazil arriving in Japan, CDPHE said in a news release.
To date, 289 P.1 cases have been identified in 25 U.S. states spanning from California to Texas to Florida to New York.
The travel history of the Boulder County residents who tested positive for the variant wasn't known, CDPHE said. The state health department was working with Boulder County Public Health to investigate possible exposures and perform contact tracing to determine whether the variant has spread to others.
> Video above: State ramping up efforts on COVID variant testing.
Two other COVID-19 variants have been detected in Colorado: B.1.1.7 and B.1.351. For more on the spread of COVID variants in the United States, visit the CDC website.
Coloradans should continue to wear masks, practice social distancing, wash their hands and get vaccinated against COVID-19, CDPHE said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Vaccine
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER
Download the 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.