There is no new highly contagious variant of coronavirus in the United States, despite reports that a new strain of the deadly insect is circulating here.
Officials say reports suggesting a new mutation are based on speculative statements made by Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, but are inaccurate, the New York Times reported Saturday.
The rumor came from a meeting during which Birx discussed graphs that showed a sudden increase in the spread of the virus throughout the country. She theorized that a new, more transmissible variant, originating in this country, could explain the rapidly growing number of cases, as did a new highly contagious variant found in the United Kingdom.
Her hypothesis was made in a weekly report sent to state governors, CNBC reported. “This acceleration suggests that there may be a US variant that has evolved here, in addition to the British variant that is already spreading in our communities and may be 50% more transmissible,” the report said.
CDC officials disagreed with her assessment and demanded that she be removed from the report, but failed, the Times said. Following the news about the potential option, the agency issued a formal statement rejecting the theory. “So far, neither researchers nor analysts at the CDC have seen the emergence of a particular variant in the United States,” said spokesman Jason McDonald.
He mentioned that all viruses evolve and that there are probably many variants around the globe that evolve simultaneously. However, it could take weeks or months to identify whether there is a single variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 that fuels growth in the United States similar to growth in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Birx could not be reached immediately for comment.
The British variant, which caused an increase there, which is overwhelming hospitals, has been found in several states, including New York. The CDC estimates that it accounts for up to 0.5 percent of cases in the country so far.
A second variant has been in the United States for three months and also accounts for less than 0.5 percent of cases, so it is unlikely to be more contagious than other variants, a CDC official told the Times.