Cases of the new variant of strain of the coronavirus have been reported in the U.S.
The new variant, which has been dubbed the “U.K. strain,” has been so-called because it was first detected in Southern England. It is believed to be more contagious than the original virus – and is believed to have caused the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the U.K. in November.
The first confirmed case of the new strain in the U.S. was detected last Tuesday (December 29) in Colorado. The patient has been living in a rural part the state and had also not traveled recently, according to officials.
On Wednesday (December 30), California announced the second known case of the new strain. This was followed by a report of a Florida resident in his twenties with no travel history testing positive for the new strain on Thursday (December 31).
By Monday (January 4), California’s count of the people detected with the new strain had gone up to six. A resident of Saratoga County in New York, was also reported tested positive for the new strain.
On Tuesday (January 5), Georgia became the fifth state to report a case of the new strain – the 18-year-old man who tested positive has no known travel history.
While the new variant of the virus is believed to be more infectious, so far, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness in cases of COVID-19. Per the U.S. Center of Disease Control and Prevention website, “Initial studies suggest that the new variant may spread more easily from person to person. So far, scientists in the UK see no evidence that infections by this variant cause more severe disease.”
However, experts are still trying to determine how the new variant differs from earlier strains of the coronavirus as well as how the disease caused by this new variant differs from the disease caused by other variants that are currently circulating. They are also continuing to gather data to better understand what threat the new strain poses to all age ranges.
Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb has expressed concerns over the speed of the roll-out of vaccines, saying that according to some projections, the new strain could make up most of the number of new coronavirus infections as soon as March.
“We have 40 million vaccines that were delivered in December. 5 million were injected into arms. That’s 35 million vaccines sitting on a shelf somewhere,” he told told Margaret Brennan on CBS’ Face The Nation, later adding, “We’re not vaccinating quickly enough to create a backstop against the spread of the new variant.”
Meanwhile, the nation’s top infectious disease official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on Sunday (January 3) that he’s optimistic distribution will speed up – however, he notes that it will require a joint effort between state and federal authorities.
The CDC panel has voted to prioritize health-care workers and long-term care facility residents to receive the first coronavirus vaccine doses. They also recommend that patients over the age of 75 and essential workers like grocery store and public transportation employees should be prioritized during the next phase.
In the meantime, experts continue to urge everyone to practice more immediate measure to curb the spread of COVID-19, such as avoiding large indoor gatherings, wearing masks, practicing physical distancing and using other public health measures.
