On Thursday, an epidemiologist compared the highly contagious British variant of the coronavirus to a “Category 5 hurricane” that spreads along the coast – as the strain has spread to more than half the United States, infecting more than 500 Americans and leading to two known deaths.
“It will take much more than a vaccine to keep this variant under control and not have a potentially large outbreak in the coming weeks,” epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said in ” CNN’s New Day.
“I think that among my colleagues, they would agree that this variant of the United Kingdom, which is now beginning to circulate much more widely in the United States, represents a great challenge for us. And that in just a few weeks, we could see the number of cases increase dramatically, ”added Osterholm.
According to the latest data from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 variant, known as B.1.1.7, has been detected in 33 states in the United States.
There have been 541 cases of the UK variant reported across the country, including 186 cases in Florida, 127 cases in California, 42 cases in New York and 22 cases in Michigan, the data show.
The variant was first detected in the United States, Colorado, in late December.
Since then, two Americans have died after contracting the mutant virus – a father from Alabama and a person in New Jersey who state health officials said had “significant underlying health conditions”.
The UK first identified the variant in the fall of last year, said the CDC. It was found that it spread more easily and quickly than other variants.
Last month, UK health experts reported that the variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variants of the virus, but the CDC says more studies are needed to confirm this finding.
A total of 73 countries worldwide have so far detected the UK variant, including Holland, Spain, France, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy, according to the tracking website cov-lineages.org.
In addition, two other variants of the coronavirus, one known as B.1.351, which first appeared in South Africa, and the other known as P.1, which was first identified in Brazil, have been circulating globally, including in the United United.
According to the CDC, three cases of the South African strain and two of the Brazilian variant have already been reported in the United States.
The CDC says that antibodies generated by vaccination with authorized COVID-19 vaccines recognize the variants.
The nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said he believes current coronavirus vaccines will protect against the UK variant.
“What is most formidable and worrying is the South African variant,” Fauci said last week in a panel of public health experts.
“The end result is that we take these mutations very seriously,” said Fauci. “The UK variant is much less worrying. We have to be prepared to update vaccines. “