Originally published on January 16, 2021 6:29 pm
A more contagious mutation of the coronavirus has been detected in the greater New Orleans area, the Louisiana Department of Health confirmed Saturday.
The variant is the same one that was first detected in the U.K. It was first identified in the United States in Denver.
“It is urgent that everyone double down on the mitigation measures that we know are effective in reducing the spread of the virus,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a letter posted on gov.louisiana.gov. “It was always a matter of time before this new strain of the virus would reach Louisiana, which is why our state health experts have been monitoring cases and working with the CDC to prepare.”