Officials 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 were speculations by Dr. Deborah Birx, member of the White House coronavirus working group.
Birx suggested to other members of the working group that there could be a new strain in the United States based on the rapid rise in infections. This hypothesis was included in a summary sent to state governors.
“This fall / winter rise has been almost double the rate of increase in cases than spring and summer. This acceleration suggests that there may be a U.S. variant that has evolved here, in addition to the variant. from the UK which is already spreading to our communities and may be 50% more transmissible, ”the report said according to the New York Times.
“Aggressive mitigation should be used to match a more aggressive virus,” he added.
The Times reported that the CDC contacted Birx to try to remove this suggestion from the summary sent to the governors. A source told the Times that the request was denied, 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 U.S. strains since the pandemic began, including 5,700 samples collected in November and December,” Jason McDonald wrote.
“So far, neither CDC researchers nor analysts have seen the emergence of a particular variant in the United States, as has been seen with the emergence of B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom or B.1.351 in South Africa. “, added. .
The Times reported that they asked Birx for comments on the dispute, but received no response.
Here’s the latest CDC news on the pandemic:
CDC: Most COVID-19 transmissions come from asymptomatic people
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