Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refuted reports of a new strain of coronavirus in the United States based on what they said was speculation by member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Deborah Birx.
Birx suggested to other members of the task force that there may be a new strain in the United States based on the rapid increase in infections. This hypothesis was included in a summary sent to state governors.
“This wave of autumn / winter has been almost double the rate of increase in cases than spring and summer. This acceleration suggests that there may be a US variant that has evolved here, in addition to the UK variant that is already spreading. in our communities and can be 50% more transmissible, “says the report according to the New York Times.
“Aggressive mitigation should be used to match a more aggressive virus,” she added.
The Times reported that the CDC contacted Birx in an attempt to remove this suggestion from the summary sent to governors. A source told the Times that the request was denied, much to his frustration.
A CDC spokesman explained in an email to CNBC News why they believed Dr. Birx’s hypothesis was premature.
“Researchers have been monitoring American strains since the start of the pandemic, including 5,700 samples collected in November and December,” wrote Jason McDonald.
“So far, neither CDC researchers nor analysts have seen the emergence of a particular variant in the United States, as seen with the emergence of B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom or B.1.351 in South Africa,” he added. .
The Times reported that they sought comments from Birx about the dispute, but received no response.
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