Sng25 Jan 2021 18:15
California may have its own virus strain
California frontline workers at a Covid drive-thru testing site
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
As a winter Covid surge batters California, scientists wondered if the contagious UK variant had landed in their state.
Two independent research groups - in Los Angeles and San Francisco - are now confirming the existence of a homegrown variant of the virus.
Data suggests it appears to be spreading faster than any other variant in the state.
Both sets of researchers confirmed they had been looking for the UK strain when they stumbled upon the new mutation.
A single instance of the strain was detected back in July but it lay dormant for months.
It has since exploded across the state, likely contributing to a brutal holiday season that has strained hospital capacity to its limits and doubled the state's death toll.
California has now recorded over three million total cases and more than 37,000 deaths