Gottlieb: New coronavirus strain ‘probably here in the United States’

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Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that a new strain of COVID-19 believed to have originated in the UK is “probably here” in the US.

Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked Gottlieb if he thought the steps taken by the federal government to combat the new tension by requiring negative COVID-19 tests on all air passengers arriving from the UK would have an impact .

“Well, I think it’s probably here in the United States, and it could be in a fair number here at the moment,” Gottlieb replied.

Gottlieb said the US needs a better way to track and monitor the strains of the coronavirus currently circulating.

“We don’t sequence many samples in this country, and a lot of that sequencing that is done is done in private labs and not aggregated into public databases. That needs to be resolved,” said Gottlieb. “In the UK, they sequence about 10 percent of all samples. Here we do a fraction of 1 percent.”

In response to the newly discovered species, many countries have made trips to and from Britain’s Washington Gov. Jay InsleeJay Robert InsleeUS Surpasses 18 Million Cases Of Coronavirus Washington Governor Demanding 14 Days Quarantine For Travelers Arriving From UK, South Africa The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented By Mastercard – COVID-19 Relief, Omnibus Talks Run To End MORE (D) Last week introduced a 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers coming to his state from the UK, while many other legislators, including New York Gov. Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoCuomo grants clemency to 21 people who showed ‘remorse, rehabilitation’ Republican club whose maskless conga line went viral responds: Adults have the right to make their own decisions New York City Mayor Says Delegates Will Check For UK Arrivals In be quarantined MORE (D), have called for tighter restrictions.

Brennan also asked Gottlieb for his views on the speed at which vaccines have been distributed and administered. She noted that 9 million doses of the two approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been distributed and just over a million people have received a vaccine.

“The pace is slower than what was reported. I think it is probably realistic to think the pace will be a bit slower, especially as we try to move through hard-to-vaccinate populations next month,” said Gottlieb.

“I suspect more than a million have been vaccinated. There is a delay in reporting. But the idea that we’ll have 20 million vaccines and vaccinations by the end of the year is likely unrealistic at this point. “

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