SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday the state's first resident to test positive for the B117 variant of COVID-19, according to a DOH release.
The subject is a male in his 60s who is associated with travel to the United Kingdom last month. A mild illness was reported, with no hospitalization required.
As of the time of the release, the DOH had not identified any close contacts within the state.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported Monday 72 known cases of the coronavirus variant in 10 states, with 32 of in California and 22 in Florida. The New Mexico DOH said in its release there is no evidence the variant has an impact on case severity or vaccine effectiveness.