US CDC warns new COVID variant could be dominant strain by March
The US CDC says a more transmissible COVID-19 variant first discovered in the UK has been found in 10 states.
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The variant, known as B.1.1.7, is believed to be twice as transmissible as the current version of the virus circulating in the US, but so far, there is no evidence that it causes more severe illness or is transmitted differently.
Its rapid spread will increase the burden on health resources at a time when infections are surging, further sapping strained healthcare resources and increasing the need for better adherence to mitigation strategies, such as social distancing and mask-wearing, the CDC said on Friday in its weekly report on death and disease.
It also increases the percentage of the population that needs to be vaccinated to achieve protective herd immunity to control the pandemic, the CDC said.
However, it’s likely that this version of the virus is more widespread in the country than is currently reported, according to CDC scientists.