New Mexico Identifies First Case of B117 Coronavirus Variant Male, 60’s, Associated with UK Travel in December

The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the state’s first case of the B117 coronavirus variant. A male in his 60’s has the variant; he is associated with travel to the UK in December. He is currently recovering from very mild illness; no hospitalization was required. To this point, DOH has identified no close contacts within the state.

The B117 coronavirus variant first emerged in the UK in September, 2020. It has since spread to multiple countries and several U.S. states. There is no evidence that the variant has an impact on the severity of COVID-19 cases, nor on current vaccine effectiveness. For additional information, please visit the Center for Disease Control’s website on COVID-19 variants.

Media Contact

We would be happy to provide additional information about this press release. Simply contact Matt Bieber at 505-470-2290 (Office) with your questions.