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New mutant variants of the coronavirus could be crawling undetected in the United States due to a low level of genetic sequencing of positive COVID tests in the country, according to health officials.
There are now over 350 reported cases of “super covid” in the United States from the three strains that were first detected in Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
However, health officials say it is very likely that the number of new variants circulating in the country will be much higher because viruses by nature are constantly mutating as they spread.
Some mutations can be damaging to a virus, causing it to die, but it’s the fact that some can be more deadly, or even resistant to vaccines, that is of concern.
Scientists are usually able to monitor different strains through genetic sequencing that allows them to examine the virus from active cases and study how the particular strain will infect others and respond to vaccines.
The South African variant has a mutation in its spike protein (circled in yellow) that makes it more contagious, capable of reinfection, and potentially more immune to vaccines. Two people in South Carolina are the first cases in the United States, but since they have not traveled recently and have no obvious connection, the variant may already be spreading in the United States.
Another 165,339 cases were reported on Friday, with 3,503 deaths – a slight decrease from the previous day
While none of the three newer variants of COVID have been shown to be more deadly, they are more transmissible and experts fear they could potentially decrease the effects of the vaccine.
But detection of new variants by these means has been difficult in the United States, where only a fraction of positive coronavirus tests are sent for further sequencing, according to the Washington Post.
Health officials say the emerging strains have now put medical experts and scientists in a “ race against time ” to identify new, potentially deadlier forms of COVID-19.
“Genomic surveillance is probably the number one thing, besides the covid-19 test itself, that we can do to track the virus,” RNA biochemist Keith Gagnon of Southern Illinois University, told Post. “Without him, we fly blind.
While health experts and scientists have supported efforts to perform widespread sequencing, the shortage appears to be due to a lack of funding, according to the report.
The problem reflects the hurdles faced in the early days of the pandemic as the coronavirus spread across the country unchecked due to a lack of testing.
The new variants have raised concerns that they could potentially derail immunization efforts in the country and wipe out months of progress.
“Not all mutations are created equal,” said Mary Petrone, who studies infectious diseases at Yale University. “The virus is going to get lucky once in a while.
The number of people hospitalized in the United States continued to decline in all states
Recent data had also offered a silver lining in the national battle against the virus, with infection and hospitalization rates dropping almost everywhere in the United States.
And on Friday, no state reported a record number of weekly cases for the first time since November 1, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Hospitalizations remain above 101,000, but the number continues to decline in almost every state.
There are currently more than 25.9 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country and 436,257 deaths in total.
Another 165,339 cases were reported on Friday, with 3,503 deaths – a slight decrease from the previous day.
While none of the three strains detected so far have been found to be more lethal, they appear to spread more easily, which could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
One of the three main variants that experts are watching was discovered in the UK late last year and has been detected in dozens of countries since.
No state reported a record number of weekly cases on Friday for the first time since November 1, according to the COVID Tracking Project
Health officials initially said it did not appear to make the disease worse, but some more recent information suggests it might – it remains unknown at this time.
The variant could become dominant in the United States by March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other variants first detected in South Africa and Brazil also appear to be more contagious, experts say.
Data to date suggests that current vaccines should still protect against these variants, although their effectiveness may be slightly diminished.
There is some evidence that some antibody treatments may be less effective against certain variants.
There are ways to adjust vaccines and treatments to maintain their effectiveness, said Dr.Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease specialist.
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