Jan. 15 (UPI) – A more contagious variant of COVID-19 could become the “predominant” one in the United States by March, potentially making it even more difficult to control the pandemic, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted Friday.
The B.1.1.7 variant is believed to first surfaced in England in September, although it was only identified last month.
It has been discovered in more than 30 countries, with 76 cases in 10 US states, the CDC researchers said.
The rapid spread of the variant could slow the population’s immunity boosted by the COVID-19 vaccines, two of which, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, were approved for use in the United States last month, they said.
“Increased … transmission may threaten pressured health care resources, require extensive and more rigorous implementation of public health strategies, and increase the percentage of population immunity required for pandemic control,” the researchers wrote.
“Taking steps to reduce transmission now can reduce the potential impact of B.1.1.7 and provide critical time to increase vaccination coverage,” they said.
The researchers called for more efforts to identify those infected with the new species, through increased testing capacity and contact-tracking initiatives.
Contact tracking is a public health strategy designed to track down people who may have been exposed to an infected person.
The predictions for future spread of the B.1.1.7 strain in the United States are based on computer modeling, the CDC researchers said.
That modeling takes into account how other strains of the virus have already spread across the country, as well as the number of current cases and possible transmission, they said.
Given that the new species is spreading much faster than other versions of COVID-19, more and more cases are likely to arise, especially if mitigation strategies such as wearing a mask and social distancing are not effectively implemented, the researchers said.