MADISON, Wis. — The COVID-19 variant strain first discovered in England has been confirmed in Dane County on Thursday.
A news release from the City of Madison said the person who tested positive for variant strain B.1.1.7 had no recent travel history outside of the county. The variant is known for having circulated widely in England near the end of 2020.
Researchers said the B.1.1.7 variant is likely more contagious and spreads more rapidly than the original strain.
“We’ve been expecting to find B.1.1.7 in Dane County, as it has appeared elsewhere in the state over the past month,” said Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County. “While this is the first time sequencing has confirmed the strain here, we’ve been operating under the assumption that the variant is present, and that is why we continue to stress that people not let their guard down.”
The variant was first confirmed in the state last month. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services plans to share case counts of identified variants in the near future on their website.
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