“Based on our most recent estimates of CDC surveillance, the B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common line circulating in the United States,” Walensky said at the White House’s COVID-19 Response Team briefing. .
Coronavirus Pandemic: Live Updates
Studies have suggested that the British variant is more contagious than the original species, may be more dangerous, and is associated with a higher risk of death.
According to the CDC, there are currently 16,275 confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in the United States.
The daily number of new cases in the country has risen over the past four weeks. Some of that is due to the proliferation of B.1.1.7 and other affected variants, Walensky said this week.
Last month, there were growing indications that the variant may already be dominant in the US. At the time, the CDC declined to say whether the variant was dominant, but predicted it would happen within a few weeks.