COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa has been found in the United States for the first time, with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina, state health officials said Thursday.

The two cases don’t appear to be connected, nor do the people have a history of recent travel, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said.

The arrival of this variant now surging in other countries shows that “the fight against this deadly virus is far from over,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Interim Public Health Director.