CDC says UK coronavirus variant could become predominant strain in US by March

The British variant of the coronavirus could become the predominant strain in the United States by March, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Friday.

So far, only 76 cases of the variant, called B.1.1.7, have been identified in the country, in 10 states, the CDC said.

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But models predict that the variant could experience “rapid growth” in the coming months, putting even more strain on the healthcare system.

“We are very concerned about this variant,” said Michael Johansson, one of the study authors and co-lead of the CDC’s Covid-19 response modeling team.

Johansson said the CDC is working to redouble its efforts to further test these variants in the United States.

The report comes as the United States continues to see the number of cases exceed 200,000 every day. Thursday was the third day in a row that more than 3,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the United States, with a daily total of 3,957. Hospital systems across the country are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.

There is no evidence to suggest that the UK variant could make people sicker. But a faster spread is sure to lead to more cases overall, the study authors wrote, “exacerbating the burden of an already strained health care system and resulting in more deaths.”

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The increased contagiousness of the variant means the United States must double its mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking, as well as increasing vaccination rates, the CDC said.

“The increased transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant justifies universal and increased compliance with mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking,” wrote the study authors.

These mitigation measures include the rapid rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, the CDC wrote, and are crucial in slowing the initial spread of the UK variant, the CDC said.

“We know that people are tired and discouraged by what has happened with this pandemic,” Johansson said. “But we know we can take decisive action now, and we can turn the corner, and really help prevent another wave from coming in the spring.”

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