‘Colombian variant’ of COVID-19 arrives in Florida

A new coronavirus variant has made its way into the United States.

The Colombian variant has turned up in at least 10 percent of Florida’s COVID-19 cases over the past week, says Carlos Migova, CEO of Jackson Health.

He blames the introduction of the mutated virus on “travel between Colombia and Miami.”

Although the variant -- which is officially known as B.1.621 -- was first identified in January, scientists know little about it, according to the World Health Organization.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not classified it as a variant of concern.

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