Florida continues to outperform the rest of the country with new mutant cases of COVID-19

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida continues to lead the country in the number of documented COVID-19 cases related to the United Kingdom, with almost 380 cases of variant B.1.1.7, according to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now, with 379 documented cases, Sunshine State has twice as many variants in the UK as California, which has 189 as of Sunday night, according to the CDC database. Texas has 49 cases, both Illinois and North Carolina have 23 cases, and Maryland has documented 22.

The number of mutant cases is expected to increase as more laboratories are brought in to sequence virus samples and track variants.

Florida has tripled the number of British variants in less than a month. Three weeks ago, Florida reported 125 variants in the UK.

The CDC updates its database of variants three days a week at 7 p.m., but the agency says it probably doesn’t include all the data.

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“The cases identified above are based on a sample of SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens and do not represent the total number of line cases B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 that could circulate in the United States. does not match the reported number of states, territories, tribes and local officials, “reads a disclaimer on the map.

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Virus variants first detected in Brazil, P.1 and South Africa, B.1.351, were also reported in the US, but in much smaller numbers. Only 16 cases of the Brazilian variant have been documented and so far, only three cases of the South African variant have been reported in the USA.

The British version is more contagious and is thought to be more deadly than the original, while the South African version may make vaccines somewhat less effective. The ultimate fear is that a variant resistant to existing vaccines and treatments could eventually emerge.

However, the true dimensions of the US problem are unclear due to the relatively low level of sequencing.

Mutant cases have probably been here all along and multiplied, but the CDC began identifying and tracking variants late last year. The CDC is struggling to detect variants after lagging behind.

Viruses move constantly. To stay ahead of the threat, scientists are analyzing the evidence, looking closely for mutations that could make the coronavirus more infectious or deadly.

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Less than 1% of positive specimens in the US are sequenced to determine if they have worrying mutations. Other countries do better – the UK sequence is about 10% – which means they can see threats on them faster. This gives them more opportunities to slow down or stop the problem, either by following contacts more closely, possible vaccine adjustments or public warnings.

After a slow start, public health laboratories in at least 33 states are now conducting genetic tests to identify emerging variants of coronavirus. Other states have formed partnerships with university or private laboratories to do the job. North Dakota, which began sequencing in early February, was the most recent to begin that work, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

The CDC estimates that a minimum of 5,000 to 10,000 samples should be analyzed weekly in the United States to adequately monitor variants, said Gregory Armstrong, who oversees the activity of the advanced molecular detection agency. And only now is the nation reaching that level, he acknowledged.

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President Joe Biden, who inherited the setting from the Trump administration, is proposing a $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package, which calls for increased federal spending on virus sequencing, although the amount has not been detailed and has not yet been released. worked other data out.

“We are 43 in the world in genomic sequencing. Totally unacceptable, “said Jeff Zients, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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