New mutant variants of coronavirus could run undetected in the United States due to a low level of genetic sequencing on positive COVID tests in the country, health officials say.
Currently, more than 350 cases of “super-covid” of the three strains first detected in Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa are reported in the United States.
However, health officials say it is very likely that the number of new variants circulating in the country will be much higher, as viruses, by their nature, are constantly mutated as they spread.
Some mutations can be harmful to a virus, killing it, but the fact that some can be more lethal or even more resistant to vaccines is a cause for concern.
Scientists are usually able to monitor different strains through genetic sequencing, which allows them to examine the virus in active cases and study how that strain will infect others and react to vaccines.
The South African variant has a mutation in its peak protein (encircled in yellow) that makes it more contagious, capable of reinfection and potentially more immune to vaccines. Two people in South Carolina are the first cases in the US, but because they have not traveled recently and do not have an obvious connection, the variant could already spread in the US
Another 165,339 cases were reported on Friday, with 3,503 deaths – a slight decrease from the previous day
Although none of the three new COVID variants have been shown to be more fatal, they are more transmissible, and experts fear they could diminish the effects of the vaccine.
But detecting new variants by these means has been a challenge in the United States, where only a fraction of positive coronavirus tests are sent for further sequencing, according to The Washington Post.
Health officials say the emerging strains have now put medical experts and scientists on a “race against time” to identify new, potentially deadly forms of COVID-19.
“Genomic surveillance is probably the first thing we can do, in addition to testing covid-19 itself, to track the virus,” RNA biochemist Keith Gagnon of Southern Illinois University told the post. “Without it, we fly blind.”
While health experts and scientists have supported efforts to conduct large-scale sequencing, the shortage appears to be due to a lack of funding, according to the report.
The problem reflects the obstacles they faced in the first days of the pandemic, when the coronavirus spread throughout the country without control due to lack of tests.
The new options have raised fears that it could derail vaccination efforts in the country and eliminate months of progress.
“Not every mutation is created the same,” said Mary Petrone, who studies infectious diseases at Yale University. “The virus will be lucky from time to time.”
The number of people hospitalized in the United States continued to decline in each state
Recent data has also offered a glimmer of hope in the nation’s fight against the virus, with infection and hospitalization rates falling almost everywhere in the United States.
And on Friday, zero states reported a record number of weekly cases for the first time since Nov. 1, according to the COVID follow-up project.
Hospitalizations remain over 101,000, but the number continues to decline in almost every state.
Currently, there are over 25.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country and 436,257 deaths in total.
Another 165,339 cases were reported on Friday, with 3,503 deaths – a slight decrease from the previous day.
Although none of the three strains detected so far have been shown to be more fatal, they appear to be spreading more easily, which could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths.
One of the three main variants that experts are following was discovered in the United Kingdom late last year and has been detected in dozens of countries since then.
On Friday, zero states reported a record number of weekly cases for the first time since November 1, according to the COVID follow-up project
Health officials initially said it did not appear to be causing more serious illness, but some newer information suggests it could – which remains unknown at this time.
The variant could become dominant in the US by March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other variants first detected in South Africa and Brazil also appear more contagious, experts say.
Data to date suggest that current vaccines should continue to protect against these variants, although there are some concerns that their effectiveness could be slightly diminished.
There is some evidence that some antibody treatments may be less effective against certain variants.
There are ways to adjust vaccines and treatments to maintain their effectiveness, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top expert on infectious diseases in the United States.
