The new coronavirus strain that was first found in the UK is fast spreading in the US. As of now, more than three states across the US have identified this new strain of coronavirus among people who had no travel history.
Health experts say that this is a sign that the new variant has already started spreading among Americans.
Florida was the first state to announce that they had found a case of covid-19 virus that was found in the UK. The new variant, B117 is more infectious and it is spreading at a fast pace across the European region.
According to the latest reports coming from Britain, the new variant accounts for more than 60% of the cases in London.
More Cases Of New Covid Variant Found In The US
Health experts are worried that this situation can also pan out in the US. In Florida, the person who was diagnosed with the new variant had no travel history or close contact with other people who had travel history in the recent weeks.
Even Colorado health officials had detected a similar case in people who had never traveled out of their cities in recent weeks.
Fauci also said that there may be several cases which involved the new coronavirus strain even in California. As testing becomes more efficient, many such cases will be detected in the coming weeks.
The CDC had earlier indicated that it is natural for the virus to mutate every few weeks and there is no cause for concern. Some scientists are of the opinion that the existing coronavirus vaccines will be able to take care of the new strain.
However, further research is needed into this claim and the vaccine makers have said that they will be able to give some confirmation in this regard in the next few weeks.
US health officials have said that the arrival of a new coronavirus variant could make matters worse in the coming weeks if the spread is not checked at the earliest.
Even though the new strain is not more dangerous than the original strain of coronavirus, it is far more infectious and it can lead to more number of covid-19 infections within a short duration of time.
The Healthcare system in the US is already burdened with overflowing covid-19 patients. Given the situation, the new strain can make it very difficult for the hospitals to handle the surge in new coronavirus cases in future.
December was the deadliest month of the pandemic in the country and more than 77000 people lost their lives in December due to covid-19.
Experts are of the opinion that January is likely to break this record considering the number of hospitalizations seen in the recent weeks. On Sunday, California alone reported more than 44000 cases and this shows the severity of the situation in the country.
As the new variant was initially detected in cities that saw a large number of travelers in the recent weeks, experts are worried that it can lead to a huge surge in the next few weeks.
The CDC had already warned that the Christmas holidays are likely to trigger a spike in the number of new coronavirus cases. According to the reports by TSA, more than 10 million people traveled across the country during the Christmas holidays.
As of now, there is no other alternative but to practice social distancing and wear masks in public places. Only these simple and basic measures can protect the public from coronavirus in the near future till the vaccine is available for everyone in the country.
The vaccine manufacturers have said that they are testing the vaccine antibodies on the new coronavirus variant in their labs.