Highly transmissible COVID-19 variant first found in UK could be dominant in US by March, CDC says

the new variant of coronavirus first seen in the UK is likely to become the dominant strain in the US by March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday in a new report. The mutation is thought to be more contagious, and research shows it could experience “rapid growth” early this year.

The CDC explored a number of different scenarios involving Strain, which experts say is around 50% more transmissible than the original. In each of them, the new strain made up the majority of cases in the United States over the next two months.

“Multiple lines of evidence indicate that B.1.1.7 is transmitted more efficiently than other variants of SARS-CoV-2,” the CDC said.

The variant, known as B.1.1.7, was first detected in the UK in mid-December and has since spread to more than 30 countries. The variant has so far been detected in at least 10 states, with around 76 cases as of Jan. 13, although the actual number is expected to be much higher.

This week, coronavirus cases in the United States topped 23 million, with more than 392,000 dead since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The CDC said the new strain “ensures universal and increased compliance with mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking. Higher vaccine coverage may be needed to protect the public.”

Researchers reiterated the need to stick to health guidelines such as wearing a mask, good hygiene and social distancing, among others, to continue to limit the spread of the virus as the nation quickly strives to vaccinate the most vulnerable. The new strain may also make it more difficult to obtain what is called “herd immunity”.

The CDC has warned that if no variant is proven to cause more severe cases, “a higher rate of transmission will lead to more cases, increasing the number of people overall who need clinical care. , exacerbating the burden of an already strained healthcare system, and resulting in more deaths. “

New research suggests that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may still protect against the mutation, along with more than a dozen other strains. However, the Trump administration has failed to meet targets to immunize Americans, with only about 12 million doses administered on Saturday.

As fears of UK tension escalate, the CDC has released stricter travel guidelines which require all international travelers to present negative coronavirus tests before entering the country.