Florida continues to outperform the rest of the country with new mutant cases of COVID-19

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of documented COVID-19 cases related to the UK with nearly 380 cases of variant B.1.1.7, according to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now, with 379 cases documented, Sunshine State has twice as many cases varying from the UK as California, which has 189 on Sunday night, according to the CDC database. Texas has 49 cases, both Illinois and North Carolina have 23 cases each, and Maryland has documented 22.

The number of mutant cases is expected to grow as more laboratories are generated to sequence virus samples and track variants.

Florida has tripled the number of UK variants in less than a month. Three weeks ago, Florida had reported 125 cases varying from the UK.

The CDC updates its database of variants three days a week at 7 p.m., however, the agency says it probably doesn’t include all the data.

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“The cases identified above are based on a sample of positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens and do not represent the total number of cases of lineages B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 that may be circulating in the United States. States, territories, tribes and local officials cannot match the figures reported, ”says a legal notice on the map.

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Virus variants first detected in Brazil, P.1 and South Africa, B.1.351, have also been reported in the United States, but in much lower numbers. Only 16 cases of the Brazilian variant have been documented and so far only three cases of the South African variant have been reported in the US

The British variant is more contagious and is thought to be more deadly than the original, while the South African one may make the vaccines a little less effective. The last fear is that a variant resistant to existing vaccines and treatments may eventually emerge.

However, the true dimensions of the problem in the US are unclear due to the relatively low level of sequencing.

Mutant cases have probably been here all along and have multiplied, but the CDC began identifying and tracking variants late last year. The CDC has been competing to detect variants after falling behind.

Viruses constantly mutate. To stay ahead of the threat, scientists analyze the samples, watching closely for mutations that could make the coronavirus more infectious or deadly.

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Less than 1% of positive specimens in the U.S. are being sequenced to determine if they have worrying mutations. Other countries do better (UK sequences around 10%), which means they can see threats more quickly. This gives them more opportunities to slow down or stop the problem, either through more specific contact tracking, possible vaccine adjustments, or public notices.

After the slow start, public health labs in at least 33 states are doing genetic testing to identify emerging variants of coronavirus. Other states have established partnerships with university or private labs to do the work. North Dakota, which began sequencing in early February, was the most recent to begin this work, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

The CDC believes a minimum of 5,000 to 10,000 samples should be analyzed weekly in the U.S. to properly control variants, said Gregory Armstrong, who oversees the agency’s advanced molecular screening work. And it is only now that the nation reaches this level, he acknowledged.

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President Joe Biden, who inherited the Trump administration’s configuration, is proposing a $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package calling for increased federal spending on virus sequencing, though the amount has not been detailed and other data has yet to be worked out.

“We are 43rd in the world in genomic sequencing. Totally unacceptable, “said Jeff Zients, White House coronavirus response coordinator.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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