A spring break party could mean the “perfect storm” to trigger the spread of new coronavirus variants in the United States, an expert warned.
“It’s the perfect storm,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine, told CNN.
Hotez said he feared college students arriving at the party scene in Florida could speed up the spread of the highly contagious UK variant, known as B.1.1.7.
“You have variant B.1.1.7 accelerating in Florida. You have all these 20-year-olds, ”he said.
“None of them will have masks. Everyone will drink. They have intimate and close contact. And then, once that’s done, they’ll go back to their home states and spread variant B.1.1.7. “
Hotez noted that Florida currently has the highest rate in the country in the UK variant, which is believed to be able to transmit up to 74 percent as the original strain.
“So this is not the time to have a superextension event for this UK variant, which is what the spring break in Florida would look like,” Hotez said.
“It’s not the time to send a group of 20-year-olds to Florida, to re-broadcast them across the country.”
Hotez said other spring break destinations, such as Texas and Mississippi, could also become hot spots for the virus now that states have abandoned mask warrants.
“Many (students) will go to South Texas, and that’s also a concern,” said Hotez, who added that the lack of mask rules could “accelerate COVID-19 nationwide.”
Hotez urged people to avoid travel unless they have been vaccinated or recently infected.
“I know it’s frustrating,” Hotez said. “But try to maximize social distancing and masks, and this may be the last spring break you have to give up.”