A more contagious coronavirus strain has been identified in 4 states and 33 countries. What we know.

A more contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the UK continues to emerge in the United States and around the world, threatening to overburden overworked healthcare systems just as vaccines are being launched worldwide.

At least four US states and 33 countries have identified the new variant, known as B.1.1.7. Several countries have also identified an additional variant, first identified in South Africa, which also appears to infect people more easily.

“As the variants spread more quickly, they can lead to more cases and put even more pressure on our highly overburdened healthcare systems,” said Dr. Henry Walke, incident manager for the COVID-19 Response Center and Prevention of diseases.

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Colorado confirmed the first known case in the United States of a new strain of coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom.

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“We need to be even more vigilant in our preventive measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Here’s what we know about B.1.1.7.

How much more contagious is the new strain?

The strain first identified in the UK spreads more easily and quickly than other strains, according to the CDC. The strain was first detected in September in southeastern England and accounted for a quarter of cases in London in November. Until the week of December 9, it was responsible for 60% of cases in the city.

What makes the new strain more contagious?

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, acquires about a new mutation in its genome every two weeks, according to the CDC. The UK variant has several mutations that affect the “peak protein” on the surface of the virus that binds to human cells.

“It is able to bind to receptors in cells better and therefore is better transmitted,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, last week.

Is the new strain more lethal?

There is no evidence that B.1.1.7 causes more serious illness or an increased risk of death, according to the CDC.

Is the vaccine effective for the new variant?

The researchers believe that current COVID-19 vaccines are likely to protect against B.1.1.7, but the data is needed. The virus “would likely need to accumulate multiple mutations in the spike protein to escape immunity induced by vaccines or by natural infection,” according to the CDC.

“From what we know from experience with this mutation and other mutations, it is unlikely to have a major impact on vaccine-induced immunity or existing immunity from previous strains,” said Dr. Greg Armstrong, director of the CDC’s Office of Advanced Molecular Detection . Armstrong said it is unclear how the variant might respond to COVID-19 treatments, such as treatments with monoclonal antibodies.

How long has the variant been in the USA?

The surveys first identified variant B.1.1.7 in the United States, Colorado, on December 28, in a COVID-19 patient with no travel history, suggesting that the virus was spreading from person to person in the community. It is unclear how widespread the variant has become, experts say.

The United States has sequenced viruses in only about 51,000 cases in the United States, according to the CDC. The country now has more than 20 million confirmed cases of coronavirus. “Given the small fraction of infections in the US that have been sequenced, the variant could already be in the United States undetected,” said the CDC last month.

The CDC said it plans to launch a national strain surveillance program this month that requires each state to send at least 10 samples every two weeks for sequencing.

Where was the new strain detected?

Strain B.1.1.7 has been identified in California, Colorado, Florida and New York, and public health experts expect it to be identified in more states in the coming days.

The strain has been detected in at least 33 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Netherlands , Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

South Africa has also identified a strain similar to B.1.1.7, but it emerged in October independently of B.1.1.7 and is unrelated to it, according to the CDC. Like B.1.1.7, the South Africa variant (B.1.351) appears to spread more easily and quickly, but is no longer severe. US health officials said last week they did not know whether the South African strain was also circulating in the U.S.

A third variant also appeared this fall and has been detected in Nigeria, but there is no evidence that it is more serious or more communicable, according to the CDC.

This article was originally published in USA TODAY: A more contagious coronavirus strain has been identified in 4 states and 33 countries. What we know.