It seems the UK strand of the coronavirus is beginning to spread in Virginia.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health reported the fourth such case of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 and the first to be outside of Northern Virginia.
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This patient lives in the Northwest Region of the state, which extends from Rockbridge County north to the state line and from Highland and Bath counties east to the Potomac River, excluding parts of Northern Virginia.
The map below shows precisely how VDH defines the Northwest region
[Where are Virginia’s coronavirus cases? The health department’s interactive map]
VDH says that this strain is associated with increased person-to-person transmission of COVID-19.
With its first case last month, Virginia became the 23rd state to report this new strain.
As of Tuesday, 33 states are reporting a total of 541 cases of this strain, according to the CDC.