The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that two variants of the coronavirus first detected in California, B.1427 and B.1429, are now considered to be worrying variants. The CDC said the variants could be 20% more transmissible.
In comparison, variant B117, first identified in the United Kingdom, is considered to be 50% more transmissible than the original wild-type COVID-19 virus. None of the new worrying variants are designed to escape the effectiveness of currently approved vaccines, but therapy, including treatments with monoclonal antibodies, may be slightly less effective.
Currently, the CDC variant tracker shows 4,686 cases of B117 in 50 states, 142 cases of B1351 in 25 states and 27 cases of P1 in 12 states.
Important new points emerging across the country
Variants, especially B117, may be behind the appearance of hot spots in parts of the Upper Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, according to the Washington Post. The increase in cases in these regions occurs after almost 2 months of declining cases, deaths and hospitalizations after the third peak of virus activity during winter holidays.
In New York City, case decline rates have stabilized, and Michigan, Minnesota and Maryland are reporting a slight increase in cases this week.
Experts told the Washington Post that, in addition to the variants, pandemic fatigue is contributing to the increase in cases. Over the past weekend, 1.2 million to 1.3 million people traveled by plane every day from Thursday to Sunday, more than any 4-day period since March 2020.
Trump asks for vaccination
The increase is because many states simultaneously loosen restrictions and make more residents eligible for vaccination. Maine, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as Washington DC announced this week that all adults in their states would be eligible for vaccination by May 1, President Biden’s deadline.
According New York Times, Colorado, Connecticut, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana and Utah hope to make all adults eligible by the end of this month.
The CDC COVID Data Tracker shows 147,590,615 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered in the USA, and 113,037,627 have been administered, with 39,989,196 Americans fully vaccinated.
Yesterday, former President Donald Trump said on Fox News that he and former First Lady Melania Trump received their COVID-19 vaccines in January and urged their followers to follow suit.
“I would recommend it and would recommend it to many people who don’t want to get it and many of those people voted for me, frankly,” said Trump.
CDC announces more funding for testing in underserved communities
The United States reported 53,579 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 1,286 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker. In total, the United States confirmed 29,562,060 COVID-19 cases, including 537,284 deaths.
Today, during the White House press conference, CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said the latest 7-day average for new cases is 53,000, with daily hospitalizations at 4,700 and the number of daily deaths at 1,100. .
Walensky said the CDC is making a new effort to expand testing and contact tracking in underserved communities and has updated its guidance on who should be tested with what type of tests.
“Testing remains a critical approach to ending the pandemic,” she said. The White House also announced new efforts to expand testing in schools.
The CDC will also direct $ 2.25 billion to address the health and COVID-19 disparities.
“This investment will be monumental in anchoring equity at the heart of our nation’s COVID-19 response – and it is an important step in bringing resources and focus to the health inequities that have long persisted in our country,” said Walensky in a statement. press release.
Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS, head of the health equity task force, also said that the Biden administration was allocating $ 150 million for monoclonal antibody therapies in underserved communities.