NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo has confirmed that a man in upstate New York has tested positive for the new strain of COVID-19 that was first discovered in the UK.
The man, who’s in his 60s, works for Saratoga’s N. Fox Jewelers, but the man has not traveled abroad recently, so it is assumed that the virus is being spread in the upstate community. Three other people who work with the man at the jewelry store have also gotten sick, but it is unclear whether or not they also have a new strain.
Anyone who visited the jewelry store between Dec. 18 and Dec. 24 is urged to contact the state Health Department.
It’s the first positive test out of about 5,000 tests conducted in New York in search of this particular variant of the virus. “I think it is much more widespread than people know,” Cuomo said during a phone briefing.
Health experts say that the new variant strain is no more dangerous than the original strain, however, it is much more contagious.
