New strain of COVID-19 confirmed in the U.S.

Colorado health officials confirmed, Tuesday, the first U.S. case of the new strain of the coronavirus that has torn through the southern UK in recent weeks.

Colorado health officials notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the confirmed case. The infected person, who is said to be in his 20s, is reportedly in isolation in Elbert County near Denver, and does not have a travel history, CNBC reports.

"There is a lot we don’t know about this new Covid-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious. The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely," Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels," he added.

The CDC predicted earlier in December that the new strain found in the UK could already be present in the U.S., noting continued back-and-forth travel between the two countries.  Dr. Anthony Fauci also predicted its existence within the U.S.

"When you have this amount of spread within a place like the U.K., you really need to assume that it’s here already. … It certainly is not the dominant strain but I would certainly not be surprised at all if it is already here," Fauci said on Good Morning America.

The new coronavirus strain is believed to be up to 70 percent more transmissible then the initial coronavirus strain, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says.