Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical advisor on the Chinese coronavirus, estimated on Friday that the B117 variant probably accounts for 20 to 30 percent of virus cases in the United States.
The UK variant of the virus, which Fauci said was causing “a significant degree of concern in Europe”, is becoming “increasingly dominant” in the United States. The B117 variant is more contagious than the original strain.
“This variant, as you know, is becoming more and more dominant in our own country every day … It was first detected in the UK in December 2020. It has been reported in more than 90 countries. The first American cases were detected in the United States, in Colorado, at the end of December 2020, ”said Fauci during a briefing at the White House on Friday.
“And since then, it has been detected in 50 jurisdictions in the United States and is probably responsible for about 20 to 30 percent of infections in this country, and that number is growing,” he added.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases noted that there are “about [a] 50 percent increase in transmission ”with the variant and“ probably an increase in the severity of the disease if infected with this variant ”. He cited a UK study that indicated a “64 percent increased risk of death” for those infected with the variant strain.
Once again identifying the strain as a “growing threat” in the country, Fauci emphasized the importance of vaccinating Americans as “quickly and promptly as possible with the vaccine that we know works against this variant”, while continuing to promote public health measures, as well as social detachment and universal masking.
Just over a year ago, Fauci ruled out the need for masks for a month in March 2020 60 minutes appearance, saying: “Right now, in the United States, people shouldn’t walk around with masks … There’s no reason to walk around with a mask.”:
Happy birthday to one of the worst shots of all time.
A year ago today, Dr. Fauci went to 60 Minutes and said that you didn’t need to wear a mask.
“Right now, in the United States, people shouldn’t be walking around with masks … There is no reason to walk around with a mask on.” pic.twitter.com/dTfjoxWFjf
– Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 8, 2021
“When you’re in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask can make people feel a little better and may even block a drop, but it doesn’t provide the perfect protection that people think it is,” said Fauci at the time, warning about “unintended consequences”, like people “playing with masks” and “touching their faces”.
The US reported 29,490,832 cumulative cases of the virus, according to data from March 19 from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Florida, a state with minimal or no restrictions on the coronavirus, continues to report fewer new cases of the virus than New York blue, which has a statewide masking mandate and other restrictive measures in place.