Coronavirus variants continue to spread across the United States and account for more and more cases.
The California homegrown variant, known as B.1.427 / B.1.429, now makes up more than half of the infections in the state and 20 to 40 percent of the cases in contiguous states.
Meanwhile, the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, has spread to every state, making up nearly one in 10 cases in at least two states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously suggested that B.1.1.7 would become the dominant strain in the US in March, which has not proven to be the case so far.
The latest estimate from outbreak.info is that the UK variant represents 35 percent of all cases in the country.
At least 6,638 cases of various mutant strains have been identified nationwide, according to the CDC.
In a news conference on Monday, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky that steps should be taken in light of variants until more people can be vaccinated.
‘I get it. We all want to return to our daily activities and spend time with our family, friends and loved ones. But we have to find the strength to stay there a little longer, ”she said.
“We have to act now and I am afraid that if we don’t take the right measures now, we will have another avoidable wave.”
Prevalence of all coronavirus variants – both first-detected and homegrown – spreads across the U.S.
In a press conference on Monday (pictured), CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said steps need to be taken in light of variants until more people can be vaccinated.
At the press conference, Walensky discussed the prevalence of the California variant, which was first identified in May 2020 and virtually nonexistent until October.
In a recent study, the University of California, San Francisco looked at 2,172 samples of the virus collected across California between September 2020 and January 2021.
In January, the new variant accounted for more than 50 percent of all genetically analyzed coronavirus samples.
According to Walensky, the variant currently makes up 52 percent of infections in California, 41 percent in Nevada, and 25 percent in Arizona.
Dr. Charles Chiu, professor of laboratory medicine and infectious disease expert at UCSF, told the Los Angeles Times that the virus was found to be more transmissible than previous strains at 19 to 24 percent.
In laboratory studies conducted at UCSF, the researchers analyzed genetic material found on nasal swabs used to conduct coronavirus tests.
They found that B.1.427 / B.1.429 produced a viral load twice that of other variants.
That suggests that the homegrown variant can copy itself better once it enters the human body and hijacks its machinery.
While this has not yet been definitively tested, a higher viral load is a sign that someone infected with the variant can be particularly contagious, spreading the virus more efficiently and effectively.
In addition, the California variant was more effective at evading antibodies naturally produced by the bodies of COVID-19 survivors or produced by vaccines. Levels of antibodies produced in response to the California variant were two times lower.
On Monday, Walensky revealed that California’s domestically developed variant, B.1.427 / B.1.429, now accounts for 52% of state affairs
It has also spread to nearby states and now makes up 41% of COVID-19 infections in Nevada and 25% in Arizona
Walensky also discussed the prevalence of the British variant, known as, B.1.1.7 because of the location of the major mutations.
It now accounts for at least 80 percent of all cases in the UK and, by most estimates, is about 70 percent more contagious than older ‘wild-type’ coronavirus variants.
In a new study published last month, on pre-print server medRxiv.org, a team has sequenced 500,000 samples of the virus, called SARS-CoV-2, tested at Helix facilities since July 2020.
As of the week of October 18, 2020, only 0.2 percent of daily positive cases appeared to be related to the UK variant.
The first case was identified in the US on Dec. 31, showing that the variant arrived in the country much earlier than previously believed.
However, the increase accelerated rapidly in January.
The national share of B 1.1.7. cases increased from 0.8 percent of all positive tests during the first week of January 2021 to 3.6 percent in the last week.
According to Walensky, B.1.1.7 is responsible for eight percent of all cases in Florida and nine percent in New Jersey
The UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, has also become more widespread, accounting for 9% of coronavirus cases in New Jersey and 8% in Florida
Matters related to B.1.1.7. in Ohio tripled over the course of two weeks, from 33 on March 7 to 128 on Monday
In addition, cases of the British variant in Ohio have tripled over the course of two weeks, from 33 on March 7 to 128 on Monday.
“We are honestly in a race and we honestly don’t know what the enemy is doing,” said Ohio government Mike DeWine at a briefing last week.
“But we do know from conversations with the scientists and epidemiologists that they think the variants are spreading in Ohio.”
Ohio health officials suspect the British variety will become the dominant species in the state in April.