Virus variant first seen in Britain detected in UC Berkeley students

A more transmissible variant of the coronavirus that first emerged in the United Kingdom has been detected in two students at the University of California, Berkeley.

The university said Thursday that there is no indication that the two students have been on Berkeley’s campus excepted to be tested for Covid-19. Both students had recently arrived in the United States from abroad.

The variant is estimated to be about 50% more infectious than earlier variants, according to UC Berkeley. It is one of multiple variants currently circulating around the globe.

“It is unfortunately no surprise that this and other variants are being detected locally, given the extent of viral spread happening currently regionally, nationally and internationally,” Dr. Anna Harte, medical director of Berkeley’s University Health Services, said in a statement. “With more viruses circulating, emerging strains that are more transmissible will tend to dominate. What is more concerning is whether they may become resistant to our vaccines, and how lethal they are. The more efficiently we can contain the spread, the better chance we have of nipping this in the bud.”