Washington – Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb predicted on Sunday that the new variant of the coronavirus discovered in the UK will be the dominant strain in the US in a few weeks.
In an interview with “Face the Nation,” Gottlieb said the new variant makes up about 0.5% of all infections nationwide, but said it is likely to double every week.
“That’s the experience of other countries and that’s the experience we’ve had in the United States so far,” he told “Face the Nation.” “So it’s 1% now. It’s going to be 2%, then 4%, then 8%, then 16%, then 32%. So in about five weeks this will take over.”
Known as B.1.1.7, the new strain was discovered in the UK in December and has since spread to more than 30 countries and at least 10 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report Friday that the variant discovered in the UK and believed to be more transmissible will be the dominant strain in March. Another variant, known as B.1.351, has also surfaced in South Africa.
Although B.1.351 has not yet been detected in the US, Gottlieb said “the bottom line is that these species are already there.”
“This really changes the equation, and I think we’re looking at a relentless onslaught of this virus entering the spring, when infections would really have decreased by the spring,” he said. “We would have had a quiet spring. We could have persistently high infection levels in the spring until we finally vaccinate enough people.”
There are more than 23.7 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US and the death toll is nearing 400,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. But Gottlieb echoed a prediction from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the CDC, said the country will likely see 500,000 deaths from the coronavirus by mid-February.
“I think tragically, that’s right. What we’ll probably see is that the infection is starting to subside. I think we’re seeing it now. We’re seeing a spike in the short term in terms of the number of new daily cases,” he said . “Now, unfortunately, deaths and hospitalizations will continue to increase over the next two or three weeks, as they are a lagging indicator. But we will probably see continued declines for about four weeks, maybe five weeks until this new variant starts working over.” “
Gottlieb has said the new strains and growing death toll underscore the need for faster administration of the coronavirus vaccines.
The upcoming Biden government has set a goal of having 100 million vaccinations in Mr. Biden’s first 100 days, and Gottlieb said that goal is achievable.
“I think the new government’s plan makes a lot of sense,” he said. “It’s kind of all of the above, which we’ve talked about, we’re trying to push this through different channels like the big checkout counters, like pharmacies, in an effort to set up more federally chartered sites in partnership with the states . “
According to the CDC, more than 31.1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been distributed and more than 12.2 million administered.