New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the state's first case of the new strain.
The variant was found in a 60-year-old man in Saratoga County in upstate New York.
Cuomo said the man had no travel history, but works at a jewelry store where three other people tested positive for COVID-19.
The state is now investigating if those cases are the new variant as well.
That strain has also been found in California, Florida and Colorado.
Doctors believe it spreads more easily, but is not more deadly.
