More than 50 cases of mutated COVID-19 first detected in the U.K.were identified across the U.S., as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC recorded 52 U.K. COVID-19 variant in the U.S.
The CDC listed a total of 52 cases of the contagious U.K. COVID-19 variant in an update on Wednesday; 26 cases in California, 22 in Florida, 2 in Colorado, one in Georgia, and one in New York. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania's Department of Health said Thursday that it had a confirmed case of variant, Fox News reported.
The figures are an underestimate, the CDC noted. It confirmed that the cases identified are based on the sample specimens of SARs-CoV-2- positive and does not portray the total number of B.1.1.7 lineage cases that could potentially circulate in the U.S. and may not match the reported numbers by states, tribes, territories, and local officials. For more reported cases of the variant strain, the CDC plans to update the page biweekly.
The COVID-19 U.K variant is more transmissible than the other strains. However, it is unclear if it is more resistant to vaccines and treatment. With the ongoing travel in the U.S., infectious disease experts are not surprised that the country's variant is now circulating.
The nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that the mutated U.K. strain is clear to begin cropping in other states, as per his recent interview with Newsweek.
Read also: Asymptomatic Cases Cause Virus Infection to Spread in the US, Researchers Say
Cuomo claims that the U.K. COVID-19 variant is a "game changer"
During a recent press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the mutated strain is a "game changer," as he railed against the federal health officials who did not implement a travel ban or require COVID-19 testing for travelers coming from the U.K. New York has detected its first case of U.K. COVID-19 variant in Saratoga man.
Moreover, both the confirmed coronavirus variant case and a potential second case were detected among the Colorado National Guard members. They were deployed in Simpla to help the Good Samaritan Society nursing home, where there was a massive COVID-19 outbreak. Simultaneously, Georgia confirmed its case of the U.K variant in an 18-year-old male without travel history.
Health experts say the new strain is more difficult to control
According to NY Post, top health experts stressed the need for mitigation measures to prevent COVID-19 spread amid the circulation of the more transmissible strain and further burden the health systems. The new contagious strain is more difficult to control, noting an uncontained coronavirus spread, Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier claims.
Saphier told "Fox & Friends First" co-hosts that it may be a little harder to contain the U.K.COVID-19 variant. However, an already uncontained spread requires people to continue wearing masks, get vaccinated, and maintain physical distancing.
