The more infectious B-117 type of coronavirus, which originated in the United Kingdom, has become the dominant strain in the United States, according to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
“According to our most recent estimates from CDC surveillance,” Walensky told reporters at a White House briefing, “the B-117 version is now the most common lineage circulating in the United States.”
Walensky’s prediction that the B-117 mutant would become the more dominant strain by late March or early April was spot on.
On Wednesday, Walensky did not say how dominant the B-117 variant is, but a CDC spokesperson said she was referring to preliminary data that has yet to be published but suggests B-117 is the most dominant strain.
This corresponds to the most recent CDC case data, which shows that the percentage of B-117 cases more than doubled from late February to mid-March.
The B-117 form accounted for about 11% of all cases in late February, but by mid-March, it had risen to 27%.
Experts agree the B-117 variant is more infectious and likely more lethal, which may explain why, despite the pace at which vaccines have proven successful against the variant, its rising prevalence in the United States has coincided with an increase in cases.
“We know that these rises are due in part to more highly transmissible variants, which we are closely tracking,” Walensky said earlier this week at a White House briefing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an average of 62,000 cases a day over the previous seven days on Wednesday.
Experts claim the increasing case numbers are due to a combination of modern, more infectious varieties, as well as relaxed COVID-19 restrictions and increased travel.
Despite the fact that about half of all adults in the United States have been partially vaccinated, the virus is now circulating among young people who have not been, according to Walensky. She pointed out that more people in their 30s and 40s are being admitted to hospitals, and that clusters are still reported from day care centres and youth sports.
Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, the three vaccines approved in the United States, have all been shown to be successful against the B-117 version.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said at Wednesday’s briefing that the vaccines could provide immunity for at least six months, if not longer.
Although all of the vaccines are extremely safe, experts believe that only time will tell how long the safety will last. On Wednesday, Fauci added to the optimism by saying that studies showed immunity would last “way beyond” six months.
Walensky encouraged Americans to “roll up their sleeves” and join the 45 percent of adults who have already received one vaccine shot, warning that each case increases the risk of the virus mutating and becoming more dangerous.
“Sixty-five thousand cases equals 65,000 chances for mutations and the propagation of further variants. As a result, we’re keeping a close eye on things, “she said.
“I’d like to end by recognizing the two most essential truths of the moment,” she said. “There is still reason to be worried about rising case counts, identified variants, and hospitalizations, but there is also reason to be optimistic.”
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