WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The first U.S. case of a coronavirus variant discovered in Brazil has been confirmed in Minnesota, the state's Department of Health said in a statement on Monday.
The case was identified in a Minnesota resident who had recently traveled to Brazil, the department said. The variant was detected through genomic sequencing of random blood samples as part of a surveillance program.
While this variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial strain of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, it is not yet known whether the variant causes more severe illnesses, according to the department.
This case marks the first documented instance of the Brazil P.1 variant in the United States.
"The emergence of this variant raises concerns of a potential increase in transmissibility or propensity for SARS-CoV-2 re-infection of individuals," said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on its website.
Starting from Tuesday, incoming air passengers are required to get a viral test within the three days before their flight to the United States, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test results to the airline or provide documentation of having recovered from COVID-19.
"Testing before and after travel is a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19. This strategy is consistent with the current phase of the pandemic and more efficiently protects the health of Americans," the CDC said in a statement.
Pre-departure testing with results known and acted upon before travel begins will help identify infected travelers before they board airplanes, said the agency.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday announced measures to ban most non-U.S. citizens from entering the country if they have recently been in South Africa where a new coronavirus variant had emerged, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Biden also reinstated travel restrictions on the Schengen area of Europe, Britain, Ireland, and Brazil, which his predecessor Donald Trump had rescinded.
Another strain, first discovered in Britain, has been detected in more than 20 U.S. states, according to the CDC. A total of 293 infected cases have been reported across the country as of Monday.
The United States has recorded more than 25.29 million COVID-19 cases with over 420,900 related deaths as of Monday night, according to the real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Enditem
