The Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed on Wednesday that three cases of the B.1.1.7 strain of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Alabama.

B.1.1.7, commonly called the “U.K. variant,” was first discovered in the United Kingdom last year and is more contagious than the standard version of COVID-19.

Two of the cases in Alabama are in Montgomery County and a third is in Jefferson County. Cases of the variant have also been confirmed in neighboring Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said last week that its discovery in Alabama was inevitable.

Experts say wearing masks, washing hands and staying distanced from others remain the most effective ways to protect against virus spread.

One of the Alabama cases in an adult while two are individuals under age 19. The laboratory at UAB Hospital performed the sequencing to confirm the cases were of the U.K. variant.

Studies show the U.K. variant can be prevented with the same vaccines already on the market.

At the same time, officials such as former Trump administration FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb have warned that the increased contagiousness of the U.K. variant and others could offset the decline in cases much of the country is experiencing.

The first case of the new strain was discovered in the United States on December 29. Around 300 cases have been confirmed to be of that strain in the weeks since, though less than half a percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States go through the laboratory sequencing necessary to determine its strain.

ADPH says the scientific evidence available has not shown the U.K. variant to be any more deadly to those who catch it than the standard form of coronavirus.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.