Variant of the UK coronavirus spreading rapidly in the USA, as cases double every 10 days.

We already knew that the highly contagious coronavirus variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, was spreading across the United States. Now, a new prepress study is making clear how quickly it is spreading, as the data shows that its prevalence among all COVID-19 cases doubles approximately every 10 days.

According to the study’s calculations, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, may become the dominant strain in the United States in March. This stamping confirms an earlier forecast by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last month. “Our study shows that the United States is on a similar trajectory to other countries where B.1.1.7 quickly became the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant, requiring immediate and decisive action to minimize covid-19 morbidity and mortality” , write the authors of the new study.

The study, which was posted on the MedRxiv prepress server, concludes that this new variant COVID-19 is about 35 to 45 percent more transmissible than the other strains currently present in the United States. This is in line with previous estimates, although the researchers say the number may be even higher. “It is here, it has its hooks deep in this country and it is on track to quickly become the dominant lineage,” said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona and co-author of the new article. .

The new variant is spreading particularly fast in Florida, which has the highest number of cases involving B.1.1.7, followed by California. Kristian Andersen, an immunologist at the Scripps Research Institute and co-author of the new study, said that just last week the percentage of infections in Florida that involve the new variant may have increased from less than 5% to about 10%. Experts say this dynamic may be due to the way Florida has not been rigid about mask orders and other restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The first data may be a warning signal to governments about the problems ahead, especially considering that several countries have recently experienced outbreaks of infections related to this new variant. “In fact, there could be a very serious situation developing in a matter of months or weeks,” Nicholas Davies, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was not involved in the study, told the New York Times. “These may be the first signs that warrant an urgent investigation by public health officials.”