(CNN) – Less than 20% of Americans are fully vaccinated, and parts of the United States are seeing increases in COVID-19 cases.
Experts are sounding the alarm about a virus that appears to be infecting school-age children and younger adults.
The highly contagious variant B117 is on the rise in Europe, and experts fear that the US could be next if safety measures are not implemented.
“What we know from the last year of the pandemic is that we tend to be about three to four weeks behind Europe,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist.
In Minnesota, more than 740 schools reported cases of the variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
In Michigan, more and more young people are hospitalized as cases grow.
Last month in Florida, Orange County officials reported an increase in COVID-19 cases in the 18-25 age group.
“What we are seeing are pockets of infections across the country, especially in younger people who have not been vaccinated and also in school-age children,” said former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. .
While the age group is relatively well protected, experts say younger groups are still vulnerable as the variant circulates.
Experts say that the variant is more contagious and can cause more severe diseases. Research suggests it could be even more deadly.
“It acts differently from anything we’ve seen so far in terms of transmissibility, in terms of affecting young people, so we need to take this very seriously,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine said.
Experts say that current vaccines seem to work well against the variant.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. reported a record weekend with more than four million doses of COVID-19 vaccine given in 24 hours, but despite the number of vaccinations, experts say not enough people are protected and that the country could be at the beginning of another wave.
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