12 UK Coronavirus Strain Cases Now Found In NY, Cuomo Says

NEW YORK CITY — Eight new cases of a highly-transmissible new strain of coronavirus have been identified in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

Cuomo on Tuesday didn’t specify where exactly the so-called UK strain cases were found, but expressed concern it could increase the state’s infection rate.

He said that could overwhelm the state’s hospital system, which is already balancing on the head of a pin.

The federal decision was likely motivated by the urgency of the UK strain, which is far more highly transmissible, Cuomo said.

"The UK strain is the X factor," he said.

New York has now seen 12 cases of the UK strain out of 80 across the country.

The variant appears to be more transmissible than the initial strain that washed over the world, experts say. It has prompted another wave of strict lockdowns in the UK.

Cuomo has repeatedly voiced concern that the strain’s spread in the state, especially in densely-populated New York City, could outpace the still-sluggish pace of vaccinations.

No cases of the strain have yet publicly been confirmed in New York City.