Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, predicted Sunday that the new contagious strain of COVID-19 will account for the “majority” of cases in the U.S. in March.
“There are some estimates that the new variant will likely account for about 1% of all infections in this country. In March, it will be the majority of infections,” Gottlieb told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Gottlieb said it will “grow rapidly” and his arrival increases the pressure to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are distributed as soon as possible.
“I think the existence of this new variant that spreads more easily creates an urgency to try to get this vaccine out faster and vaccinate more people, even if it’s a more general population,” Gottlieb said.
“There is a lot of excessive demand for the vaccine at the moment, especially in the elderly population. I think we should think about moving quickly through these stages that we have outlined and start moving more quickly into a general vaccination program for those people over 65, ”he continued.
At least three states (Colorado, California and Florida) have confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain, which first emerged in the UK.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the new variant of the coronavirus could be 70% more transmissible than other known strains.