Analysing half a million COVID-19 tests and hundreds of genomes, researchers have predicted that within a month, it could become predominant in America
People march to the Colorado State Capitol demanding answers from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment about a lack of financial relief from the state on in Denver. PIC/AFP
A new study has suggested that the Coronavirus variant first detected in the UK late last year is spreading rapidly across the US, raising concerns over another resurgence in the hardest-hit country.
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Analysing half a million Coronavirus tests and hundreds of genomes, researchers have predicted that within a month, the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, could become predominant in the US, potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death, reports Xinhua news agency.
The study, posted on the preprint server MedRxiv on Sunday, echoed a forecast issued last month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which warned that the B.1.1.7 could become predominant by March if it behaved the way it did in Britain.
According to the study, detection of the variant increased at a logistic rate similar to those observed elsewhere, with a doubling rate of a little over a week and an increased transmission rate of 35 to 45 per cent.
Currently there are three dominant Coronavirus variants spreading in the US, according to CDC data. A total of 699 infection cases of the variants have been reported in at least 34 states.
The vast majority of these cases, 690, were caused by B.1.1.7, while there were six cases of a new strain initially discovered in South Africa, called B.1.351, and three cases of the P.1 strain first discovered in Brazil.
Britain sees over 14,000 new cases, 333 COVID deaths
Another 14,104 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of Coronavirus cases in the country to 3,959,784, according to official figures released on Monday. The country also reported another 333 Coronavirus-related deaths.
‘2.93 mn US kids infected with COVID-19’
More than 2.93 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, according to the latest data of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association. About 117,500 new child COVID-19 cases were reported last week ending February 4, as per the AAP.
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