New COVID-19 variant discovered in California

An electronic sign urging Californians to stay at home.

(Image credit: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)

published 30 December 2020

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Wednesday that a new variant of the coronavirus believed to be much more contagious has been found in California.

The variant, first identified in Britain, was discovered in Southern California, Newsom said, without naming a specific city. The first known U.S. case of COVID-19 caused by the variant was reported in Colorado on Tuesday.

During a conversation with Newsom, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said that while it appears the strain is significantly more contagious, "there's no indication at all that it increases the virulence ... the ability to make you sick or kill you. It doesn't seem to make it more strong in that regard." He also said it looks like the COVID-19 vaccines now being used are effective against the new variant.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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