Image via Getty
The highly contagious strain of COVID-19 that originated in the United Kingdom is expected to become the dominant strain in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the Washington Post reports, the CDC released a forecast last month predicting that the variant would become the primary strain in March. The researchers estimate that the mutation is about 50 percent more transmissible than the common COVID strain.
The variant is not known to cause a more serious disease, but an increase in the spread of COVID logically leads to more cases and therefore more deaths in the ongoing pandemic. This data is now being supported by a new study by researchers that serves as another worrying reminder of the importance of distributing vaccines quickly.
“Our study shows that the United States is on a similar trajectory to other countries where B.1.1.7 has quickly become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant, requiring immediate and decisive action to minimize the morbidity and mortality of covid-19,” authors of the new study posted on the prepress server MedRxiv wrote.
In the light of this information, the CDC is not suggesting new restrictive measures, but encouraging people to continue wearing masks, stay at home as much as possible, get tested and distance themselves socially.
“Increased transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can threaten depleted health resources, demand a more extensive and rigorous implementation of public health strategies and increase the percentage of population immunity needed to control the pandemic,” wrote the CDC. “Taking steps to reduce transmission now can lessen the potential impact of B.1.1.7 and allow for a critical time to increase vaccination coverage.”
There is also a question about how mutations affect vaccine effectiveness. Moderna and Pfizer are already creating reinforcement shots to help combat new varieties.
Other variants, which include one from Brazil and two from South Africa, are also of concern because of their potential in increasing the transmission of COVID-19. But the main focus has been on the UK strain known as B.1.1.7.
“He’s here, has his hooks deep in this country and is on track to quickly become the dominant lineage,” said study co-author Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona.
The CDC predicts that if the United States succeeds in increasing vaccinations, new infections are expected to decrease in the coming months.
“There is cause for concern. We are not yet out of the woods with this pandemic, ”said Jay C. Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases, last month. “We need to keep moving forward.”
Related articles
More complex
Sign up for Complex newsletter for breaking news, events and exclusive stories.
Follow Complex on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok