Times-News The first case in the Triad of the more transmissible U.K. coronavirus strain was identified in Guilford County on Wednesday. The CDC does random surveillance testing on COVID-19 test samples to investigate potential variant strains, according to a press release from the Guilford County Division of Public Health. This was how the U.K. COVID-19 variant, known as B.1.1.7, was identified. This is the second known case of this variant in the state of North Carolina. The first was reported in Mecklenburg County on Saturday, the Charlotte News and Observer reported. This variant has been detected in 22 states since Jan. 22, according to the CDC.