According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 50 cases of the most contagious mutated coronavirus strain first detected in the United Kingdom in the United States have been identified.
In an update Wednesday, the CDC listed 26 cases in California, two in Colorado, 22 in Florida, one in Georgia and an additional case in New York, for a total of 52 cases. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said it also had a confirmed case of the variant.
The CDC noted that the figures are an understatement, which reads: “The cases identified above are based on a sampling of positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens and do not represent the total number of B.1.1.7 lineage cases that may be circulating in the United States and may not match figures reported by states, territories, tribes, and local officials. “
The CDC plans to update the page fortnightly as more cases of variant strain occur.
The coronavirus B.1.1.7. the variant is said to be more transmissible than previous strains, but is not thought to be more virulent or resistant to vaccines and treatment. Infectious disease experts were not surprised to learn about the variant that was already circulating in the United States, given the ongoing trips.
In a recent interview with Newsweek, Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, said it was clear the UK’s mutated strain would begin to appear in other states.
“I think it’s pretty clear that if it’s in places like California, New York and Colorado … it will soon be in several more states,” said Fauci, who later added, “I don’t think the UK mutation [variant] has been responsible for the fairly substantial increase in cases in the United States because the UK variant is here, but it is not the dominant strain in the United States. But even without this being the dominant strain, we still have a very sharp case curve in our country. “
New York announced that it detected its first case of the UK variant in a Saratoga man in his 60s. Governor Andrew Cuomo described the mutated strain as a “game changer” during a recent press conference, while confronting federal health officials for not implementing a travel ban or requiring evidence for travelers coming from the UK.
Meanwhile, Colorado officials detected both the confirmed case of coronavirus variant and a possible second case among members of the Colorado National Guard who deployed to help the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in Simla, where there was a widespread outbreak of COVID-19.
In addition, the case was confirmed varying in Georgia in an 18-year-old man with no travel history.
Amid the circulation of the most transmissible strain, top health experts have stressed the need for mitigation measures to prevent the spread of the virus and a greater burden on already overflowing health systems.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier said the new contagious strain will be harder to control, though she noted there is already a rampant spread of the virus.
“Ultimately, it just means it may be a little harder to contain this virus, but we already have a steady spread, so we need to continue to use the mask, physically distance ourselves and encourage people to get vaccinated,” he said Saphier in “Fox & Friends First” co-hosts.