There is also no evidence to suggest that the strain could reduce the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines now authorized for use in the United States, the CDC said.
Most people who have been in the UK for the past 14 days have already been prevented by the CDC from entering the United States; there are exceptions for US citizens and green card holders, among others. But federal officials are already warning of the possibility that the virus is already in the U.S.
“You really need to assume you’re already here,” said Anthony Fauci, the government’s chief infectious disease physician, during an interview with “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
The context: Dozens of countries halted travel to and from the UK over the weekend amid growing concerns about the risk posed by the new strain. The United States has not announced any new travel restrictions.
“The CDC is closely monitoring the situation and actively evaluating the implications of the new variant and response options with respect to international travel,” the agency said in a statement.
British scientists first discovered the variant in September, through the genetic sequencing of virus samples taken from British patients. Experts are now warning of how quickly it has spread across southeastern England. The CDC summary cites reports showing that about 6 in 10 cases reported in London are caused by the variant.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the strain can be up to 70% more transmissible than other versions of the virus, which collectively infected more than 77.5 million people worldwide and killed 1.7 million .
What is the next: The CDC said it is monitoring the situation in the UK and communicating with its EU counterparts. The US agency, along with state and local health departments, is monitoring and studying the transmission of the virus to detect any changes in strains circulating in America.