COVID-19 Variant First Seen in UK Now the Predominant Strain for Most of the US
The B.1.1.7 variant, also known as the UK strain, of COVID-19 is becoming the predominant strain of the virus in the United States. First identified in the United Kingdom, it is now the top strain in five of the ten US regions. These regions include 220 million of the country’s 328 million people. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC, reports that the UK variant accounts for 26% US cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says that “from the reports we’re seeing, it very likely could be a bit more serious but it definitely is more transmissible”.
Full Story: Bloomberg