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The highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first detected in the UK is now spreading rapidly in the US – doubling about every 10 days, according to a new study.
Researchers predicted that the strain known as B117 could become the most prevalent in the country by next month, according to the study, which has yet to be peer reviewed. and was published Sunday on the MedRxiv preprint server.
The group led by scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., Determined that the new variant arrived in the United States as early as November.
DAILY CORONAVIRUS CASES IN UNITED STATES DROP UNDER 100,000, SHOWS DATA
Looking at the genomic analyzes of the virus samples, they found that the mutation had doubled in frequency about every and a half weeks.
In Florida, it is estimated that the new strain is now responsible for about 4 percent of all cases.
A man receives a COVID-19 nasal swab test at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
In comparison, the national rate is probably between 1 and 2%, according to the researchers.
The study estimated its transmission rate to be between 35-45% higher than other strains – prompting researchers to warn that “immediate” action is needed to avoid surges similar to those that forced new lockouts in the UK.
“Our study shows that the United States is on a similar trajectory to other countries where B.1.1.7 has rapidly become the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2, requiring immediate and decisive action to minimize morbidity and mortality from covid-19, “the authors wrote. .
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“These results show that B.1.1.7 will likely become the dominant variant in many US states by March 2021, leading to further outbreaks of COVID-19 in the country,” they added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected at least 611 cases of the strain in 33 states, although the variant is likely much more prevalent since gene sequencing is not standard practice.
This article first appeared on NYPost.com.
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