coronavirus

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DANVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - A Vermilion County resident has tested positive for a COVID-19 variant, health officials report. 

The Vermilion County Health Department made the news public in a Tuesday COVID-19 update posted to Facebook. The case is of the B.1.1.7 strain, which was originally discovered in the United Kingdom. 

On Monday, Illinois officials said the state had nine B.1.1.7 variant cases, all of which lived in the Cook County area. 

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said early studies show the variant spreads more easily than the original COVID-19 strain. She added officials are working to see if there is evidence of this variant causing more severe disease or death.Â