UK COVID-19 strain detected in Washington’s King County

SEATTLE (AP) — Health officials in Washington state say a coronavirus variant first identified in England and recently found in Snohomish and Pierce counties, has been detected in a King County test sample. The Seattle Times reports the University of Washington Medicine on Friday notified King County public health officials, who said the news was “worrisome, but not surprising,” according to a blog post from Public Health — Seattle & King County. Officials say the variant, known as the B117 strain, spreads more easily than others and quickly became the dominant strain in the U.K. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has predicted the strain likely will become the predominant one in the U.S. by March.