(Des Moines, Iowa) -- There's a new variant of COVID-19 in Iowa.
The Iowa Department of Public Health is confirming three cases of a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 called "the UK Variant," due to first being discovered in the United Kingdom. Two cases have been identified in Johnson county, the other in Bremer County in northeast Iowa.
The IDPH says it's been anticipating cases of the UK variant and has been testing for it since December. Current COVID-19 vaccines are considered to be effective against the new strain of coronavirus. Contact tracing for all three cases is currently underway.