The highly contagious variant first identified in the UK is likely to account for 30% of Covid-19 infections in the United States, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief White House medical adviser.
The variant, named B.1.1.7, has been reported in at least 94 countries and detected in 50 U.S. jurisdictions, Fauci said during a White House news briefing on the pandemic, adding that the number is likely to increase. .
The UK first identified strain B.1.1.7, which appears to be spreading more easily and faster than other variants, last autumn. Since then, it has spread around the world, including the United States, Fauci said. U.S. researchers have identified 5,567 cases through genetic sequencing since Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. US health officials say the variant could become the dominant strain in the US by the end of this month or early April.
The new variants are of particular concern to public health officials, as they could become more resistant to antibody and vaccine treatments. Senior health officials, including Fauci, have called on Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible, saying the virus cannot move unless it can infect hosts and replicate.
Public health officials and Americans can counter the option by doing two things, Fauci said. “Get as many people vaccinated as possible and as soon as possible with a vaccine that we know works against this variant and, finally, implement the public health measures that we’ve been talking about all along … masking, physical distancing and avoiding congregation conditions, especially indoors. “
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that the variant is associated with a 64% higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than previous strains. Researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol analyzed data from more than 100,000 patients in the UK from October 1 to January 28.
“We are in a position right now, where we have a plateau of about 53,000 cases a day,” Fauci said. “The concern is that throughout the country there are a number of states, cities, regions that are withdrawing some of the mitigation methods we talked about: the withdrawal of masked mandates, the non-public withdrawal of health measures being implemented. “
Fauci’s comments on B.1.1.7 come a day after he met with Republican Senator Rand Paul over masks at a hearing.
Paul argued that people should not wear masks after being vaccinated because there is an “almost 0% chance” of taking Covid-19. – Isn’t it just theater? The junior senator from Kentucky, an ophthalmologist, asked during a Senate hearing on Education, Labor and Pensions.
In response, Fauci said that the emergence of new highly contagious variants poses a threat to people who have antibodies. “I can say for the record that the masks are not theater,” Fauci said. “I totally don’t agree with you.”