More than 50 cases of the most contagious and mutant coronavirus strain first detected in the UK have been identified in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In an update Wednesday, the CDC listed 26 cases in California, two in Colorado, 22 in Florida, one in Georgia and an additional case in New York, for a total of 52 cases. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said it had a confirmed case of the variant.
The CDC noted that the figures are an understatement, writing: “The cases identified above are based on a sample of SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens and do not represent the total number of B.1.1.7 line cases that may circulate in the United States, and it may not match the reported number of states, territories, tribes and local officials. “
The CDC plans to update the page every two weeks as more cases of variant strain appear.
Coronavirus B.1.1.7. the variant is said to be more transmissible than previous strains, but is not thought to be more virulent or more resistant to vaccines and treatment. Infectious disease experts were not surprised to hear of the version already circulating in the US, given the ongoing trips.
In a recent Newsweek interview, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said it was clear that the mutant strain in the United Kingdom would begin to appear in other states.
“I think it’s pretty clear that if it’s in places like California, New York and Colorado … it’s going to be in more states soon,” Fauci said, adding later: “I don’t think the UK move. [variant] has been responsible for the fairly substantial increase in cases in the United States, as the UK variant is here, but it is not the dominant strain in the United States. But even if it is not the dominant strain, we still have a very steep case curve in our country. “
New York announced that it had detected the first case of the British variant in a man from Saratoga in the 1960s. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the move “game changer” during a recent news conference, while he spoke out against federal health officials for failing to enforce a travel ban or requiring travel testing. coming from the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Colorado officials detected both the confirmed case of the coronavirus variant and a potential second case among members of the Colorado National Guard who were deployed to help the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Simla, where there was a widespread outbreak of COVID-19.
Moreover, the case of the Georgian variant was confirmed in an 18-year-old man without a travel history.
Against the background of the more transmissible strain, top health experts stressed the need for mitigation measures to prevent the spread of the virus and further burden on already overwhelmed health systems.
Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, said the new contagious strain would be more difficult to control, although she noted that the incessant virus was already spreading.
“Ultimately it just means that it may be a little harder to contain this virus, but we are already spreading incessantly, which is why we need to continue wearing masks, physically distancing ourselves and encouraging people to get vaccinated,” Saphier told Fox & Friends first ”co-host.