Dr. Anthony Fauci said it is likely that the new highly contagious strain of COVID-19 has already spread across the country of what is currently known.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he would be “very surprised” if the new variant that emerged in the UK had not already reached “several more states”.
“I think it’s pretty clear that if you’re in places like California, New York and Colorado … you’ll soon be in several more states,” Fauci told Newsweek on Tuesday.
The new variant, which has been confirmed in at least five states, is believed to be about 70 percent more contagious than other strains.
“We take it very seriously. Because if you have more transmissibility, you will get more cases, “Fauci said.
“When you receive more cases, you receive more hospitalizations. And when you get more hospitalizations, you end up with more deaths. ”
But Fauci said he does not believe the new strain has been the driving force behind recent rises in cases across the country.
“I do not think it is a change in the United Kingdom [variant] has been responsible for the fairly significant increase in cases in the United States, because the UK variant is here, but it is not the dominant strain in the United States, ”Fauci said.