West Virginia Public Broadcasting Three cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, or commonly known as the UK Variant, have been detected in north central West Virginia, state health officials announced Friday evening. “While the presence of this COVID-19 variant in West Virginia is not surprising, it’s a good motivator for us to double down on the prevention efforts we’ve had in place for many months now,” said Dr. Ayne Amjad, West Virginia’s state health officer, in a statement Friday. Two of the three cases are West Virginia University students, according to a Saturday announcement from university officials. Additionally, they said the university is conducting contact tracing in collaboration with the Monongalia County Health Department.