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The vast majority of coronavirus variant cases in the United States have been caused by the variant originally detected in Britain. Meanwhile, a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, CAL.20C, has been detected in southern California and is spreading across and beyond the country.
WASHINGTON, February 13 – Nearly 1,000 cases of coronavirus variant infections have been reported in a total of 44 U.S. states, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The vast majority of these cases, 981, were caused by the variant known as B.1.1.7, which was originally detected in Britain.
There have been 13 cases of a new strain originally discovered in South Africa, called B.1.351, and three cases of the P.1 strain first discovered in Brazil.
These are the three dominant variants of the coronavirus that are currently spreading in the United States, according to the CDC.
Numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged in recent months, attracting the attention of health and science experts around the world.
B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 are of concern to scientists due to emerging data suggesting their increased transmissibility, according to an article published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The variants can carry several different mutations, but changes in the virus spike protein, used to enter and infect cells, are of particular concern. Modifications to this protein can make a vaccine less effective against a particular variant, according to the study written by Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, and other researchers.
The authors note that the B.1.351 variant may be partially or totally resistant to certain anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies currently authorized for use as therapeutic agents in the United States.
A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, CAL.20C, has been detected in southern California amid a surge of local infections and is spreading across and beyond the United States, according to another research letter published in JAMA.
As of January 22, the variant had risen to account for 35% of all coronavirus strains in California and 44% of all samples in the southern part of the state and had been detected in 26 states as well as other countries, according to the study by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Recognition of all new variants, including the new strain emerging in California, requires systematic evaluation, the researchers said. The rise of these variants is a reminder that as long as SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread, it has the potential to evolve into new variants.
The fight against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 will require robust surveillance, monitoring and vaccine deployment around the world, studies show.
The researchers also note the need for a pan-coronavirus vaccine. Once researchers learn more about how the virus evolves as it spreads, it may be possible to develop a vaccine that protects against most or all of the variants.
The United States has recorded more than 27.5 million cases with more than 481,600 related deaths as of Saturday afternoon, according to the real-time tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
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