The White House coronavirus working group warned in a report to states this week that a rapid rise in cases this winter could be the result of an internal variation in the virus, independent of the UK variant.
“This fall / winter rise has been almost double the rise in cases than spring and summer,” the working group wrote in its weekly report, obtained by The Hill.
“This acceleration suggests that there may be a U.S. variant that has evolved here, in addition to the UK variant that is already spreading to our communities and may be 50% more transmissible,” says the report.
“Aggressive mitigation should be used to match a more aggressive virus; without a uniform implementation of effective masking (two- or three-layer and well-adjusted) and strict social distancing, epidemics could quickly worsen as these variants spread and become predominant, ”he continued.
The report does not say there is clear evidence of a new strain of the virus, but that cases are rising so rapidly that they may indicate a more contagious strain in the United States. The UK has been hit hard by a new, more contagious strain that was discovered there and has already been detected in several US states.
“It’s not really the fact that we’ve discovered a different variant here in the United States,” former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday when asked about the report. .
“It’s largely pattern recognition where we adjust our curve to the top of the UK curve, and right now the trajectory of what’s happening here in the United States is very similar to what has happened in the United Kingdom. United, “he added.
So far, the UK virus strain is believed to be more contagious but not more deadly. It is also not believed to be resistant to vaccines, although research is ongoing.
The United States has been regularly setting new records in recent weeks for daily infections and deaths from the virus as the country struggles to control the pandemic.
Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday that there were 4,085 coronavirus deaths in the United States, the first time the country has surpassed 4,000 deaths in a single day.
The deployment of Pfizer and Moderna approved vaccines has been affected by confusion over distribution, as officials try to prioritize who should receive the shots first and how to administer them quickly without missing doses.
To date, about 6 million of the approximately 21 million distributed doses have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Trump administration is encouraging states to expand the categories of people eligible for vaccine doses as a way to speed up the process and ensure that tight criteria do not slow it down.
The working group in its report this week urged states not to delay vaccination of people over 65 or people at higher risk for serious complications from the virus.
“Messaging should focus on proactive testing of children under 40 to prevent asymptomatic silent spread to household members and a call to action for immediate testing and rapid infusion of monoclonal antibodies for those at risk of serious illness, “the report said. “All hospitals should have outpatient infusion sites available immediately to save lives.”
When asked about the report on Friday, the CDC said there is a “strong possibility” that there are variants in the United States, but it will take time to determine if there is a single variant that fuels the increase, as in the United Kingdom. United, and so far no variant has been identified.
“Based on the scientific understanding of viruses, it is very likely that there are many variants that evolve simultaneously around the world,” a CDC spokesman said. “In addition, there is a high possibility that there are variants in the United States, but yes [take] weeks or months to identify whether there is a single variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 to feed the rise in the United States in a manner similar to the rise in the United Kingdom. “
“Researchers have been monitoring U.S. strains since the pandemic began, including 5,700 samples collected in November and December,” the spokesman added. “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. “.