The spring break party could spell the “perfect storm” to trigger the spread of new variants of the coronavirus in the United States, warned an expert.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN.
Hotez said he feared that college students going to the Florida party scene could accelerate the spread of the UK’s highly contagious variant, known as B.1.1.7.
“You have variant B.1.1.7 accelerating in Florida. You have all these 20 year old boys, ”he said.
“None of them are going to have masks. They will all drink. They are having a very close and intimate contact. And then, after all is done, they will go back to their home states and spread the B.1.1.7 variant. “
Hotez noted that Florida currently has the country’s highest rate of the United Kingdom variant, which is believed to be 74% transmissible from the original strain.
“So this is not the time to have an overspread event for this UK variant, which is what spring break in Florida would be like,” said Hotez.
“This is not the time to send a bunch of 20-year-olds to Florida and then send them back, spreading it across the country.”
Hotez said other spring break destinations, like Texas and Mississippi, could also become hot spots for the virus, now that states have abandoned mask orders.
“Many (students) will also go to South Texas, and that is also a concern,” said Hotez, who added that the lack of masking rules could “speed up COVID-19 nationally.”
Hotez urged people to avoid traveling unless they have been vaccinated or infected recently.
“I know it’s frustrating,” said Hotez. “But try to maximize social distance and masks, and this could be the last spring holiday you’ll have to give up on.”