IOWA - The more contagious UK variant of COVID-19 appears to now be the dominant strain of the virus in Iowa.
State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott tweeted that the state Health Department told her of the strain's dominance Monday.
The Des Moines Register also reports the health department has confirmed the UK variant is likely the most common in the state.
Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control show cases of the UK variant have more than doubled in the past several days in Iowa to 223.
The CDC said last week that the strain has become the most common source of new infections nationwide.
The UK variant is more transmissible and has a higher mortality rate, but many specialists have said current vaccines are effective against it.
The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed the first cases of the UK variant (B.1.1.7) on February 1st, with 38 additional cases reported in mid-March.
The Department also confirmed that the U.K. variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed at one of the state's long-term facilities.
Urbandale Health Center confirmed that a variant of the coronavirus was detected in its building.
The center's website showed 18 residents and 10 staff members tested positive last week, but show no active cases this week.
The health center also said a mix of non-vaccinated and vaccinated residents tested positive for the virus.