ARKANSAS, USA — Governor Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday (March 2) that a new variant of the coronavirus has been discovered in Arkansas for the first time.
According to the CDC, the B.1.1.7 variant is commonly found in the United Kingdom (UK) and emerged with a large number of mutations.
Health officials did not expand on exactly where the variant was located.
"This is not a surprise to us, we expected the UK variant to be here," Gov. Hutchinson said. "It's a reminder that we have to be cautious
"This is not something that we did not expect, I'm surprised we hadn't found it earlier," said Dr. Jose Romero, Arkansas Secretary of Health. "It reinforces the need to immunize. Without immunization, we won't be able to protect against these variants."
Dr. Jose Romero also emphasized the continued need for face masks, whether they are mandated or not, to stop the spread of the virus.
This comes after Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that the state will be expanding Phase 1-B of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to include food manufacturing workers.
This now includes those who work in meat processing and grain and oilseed milling.
It's estimated that 49,000 Arkansans fall into this category.