Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg
The Covid-19 variant that emerged in the UK and raised concerns about faster spread could become dominant in the US as early as March, government public health researchers said in a report.
Various evidence indicates that the strain is spreading faster than other versions, and steps should be taken to reduce its transmission, including increased genomic surveillance and compliance with public health measures such as testing and mask wearing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Friday in the report.
“Increased SARS-CoV-2 transmission could threaten pressured healthcare resources, require extensive and more rigorous implementation of public health strategies, and increase the rate of population immunity required for pandemic control,” the report said. .
The variant, dubbed B.1.1.7, has already been spotted in the US, with about 76 cases confirmed in the country to date, the CDC said. The agency’s projection was based on models showing rapid growth of the variant early this year, which could further undermine the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines characterized by missed deadlines and under-utilization of supplies.
The variant currently makes up less than about 0.5% of circulating viruses, the agency estimates in the report, although the exact prevalence of B.1.1.7 in the US is currently unknown.
UK Lockdown
British health officials have attributed a recent increase in the number of cases to the variant’s ability to spread and have imposed strict lockdown measures. UK Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned that while he expects “things will improve in the spring,” the variant could hinder the reopening of the economy.
The variant “has the potential to extend the pandemic trajectory in the US in the coming months,” the report said.
Viruses often mutate and variants are expected, but new variants could potentially take forms that would circumvent current tests and therapies for Covid-19. The B.1.1.7 variant is one of many that have been detected around the world, although neither a variant known as B.1.351 in South Africa nor another variant called B.1.1.28 have been found in US – January, the CDC said.
The high infectivity of the B.1.1.7 variant requires even more stringent application of public health measures such as vaccination, distancing, masking and hand washing to control the spread, the CDC said. Those public health measures must be taken “sooner rather than later” to stem their spread, and the health system must be prepared for further spikes in cases, the regulator said.
“Increased transmissibility also means that higher than expected vaccination coverage must be achieved to achieve the same level of disease control in order to protect the public compared to less transmissible variants,” the report said.
The CDC also said it is working with partners in academia, industry, and at the state and local levels to sequence the genomes of the virus, which can recognize the emergence of new strains.
(Updates with report details and UK spread from the fourth paragraph)