Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
The Covid-19 variant, which appeared in the UK and raised concerns about the faster spread, could become dominant in the US immediately after March, government researchers in the field of public health said in a report.
Several lines of evidence indicate that the strain is spreading faster than other versions and measures should be taken to reduce its transmission, including increased genomic surveillance and compliance with public health measures, such as testing and wearing masks, the US Centers said. for Disease Control and Prevention. Friday in report.
Increasing SARS-CoV-2 transmission could threaten tense health care resources, require wider and more rigorous implementation of public health strategies, and increase the percentage of population immunity needed to control the pandemic, the report said.
The variant, called B.1.1.7, has already been observed in the US, with about 76 cases confirmed so far in the country, according to the CDC. The agency’s projection was based on modeling that showed a rapid growth of the variant earlier this year, which could further undermine the launch of Covid-19 vaccines, marked by missed deadlines and underutilization of supply.
The variant currently accounts for less than about 0.5% of circulating viruses, the agency estimated in the report, although the exact prevalence of B.1.1.7 in the US is currently unknown.
UK Lockdown
Health officials in the UK have attributed a recent increase in cases of the capacity of the spread variant and imposed strict blocking measures. The British medical director, Chris Whitty, warned that, although it is expected that “things will improve in the spring”, the option could make it difficult to reopen the economy.
The variant “has the potential to increase the trajectory of the US pandemic in the coming months,” the report said.
Viruses move frequently, and variants are to be expected, but new variants could take forms that would evade current and therapeutic tests for Covid-19. Variant B.1.1.7 is one of several that have been detected worldwide, although no variant known as B.1.351 has been found in South Africa and no other variant called B.1.1.28 has been found. in the US from mid-January, the CDC said.
The high contagion of variant B.1.1.7 requires an even more rigorous application of public health measures, such as vaccination, distancing, masking and hand washing to control the spread, the CDC said. These public health measures should be taken “sooner rather than later” to stop its spread, and the health system should be prepared for further increases in cases, the regulator said.
Increased transmissibility also means that higher-than-anticipated vaccination coverage must be achieved to achieve the same level of disease control to protect the public compared to less transmissible variants, the report says.
The CDC also said it is working with partners in academia, industry and at the local and state level to sequence the genomes of the virus, which can detect the emergence of new strains.
(Updates with details of the report and the UK spread from the fourth paragraph)