Dr. Farley confirms 2 cases of U.K. COVID-19 variant in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA - At least two cases of the more contagious UK variant of COVID-19 have been found in Philadelphia, according to Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. 

Joining Good Day Philadelphia on Thursday morning, Farley said one of the patients who tested positive is from Bucks and Philadelphia counties. Health officials previously reported that the woman in her 50s tested positive in late Dec. and was briefly hospitalized. She has since recovered.

Farley did not provide information on the second case. 

"We don't do many of these tests, it's a very difficult test to do, it's genome sequencing, so if we have two here we know we have many more here as well," Farley said. 

This news comes a day after a bartender in nearby Montgomery County tested positive for the UK variant, according to health officials. The 30-year-old patient had worked a double shift a day before he became symptomatic and eventually tested positive on Jan. 15. 

Pennsylvania's first known case of UK variant was detected in a Dauphin County resident earlier this month after the patient has "known international exposure." The patient had mild symptoms and has since recovered, health officials said.

It's believed by experts that the current coronavirus vaccines developed by both Pfizer and Moderna are effective in fighting off the UK variant of COVID-19.

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Officials: UK strain of COVID-19 detected in Montgomery County bartender

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