Despite a steady decline in new Covid-19 cases and a dramatic increase in the pace of vaccination, the arrival of new strains of the disease in the U.S. remain cause for concern. The COVID Tracking Project has reported that seven-day average cases in the U.S. are down 50 percent since their peak on January 12 while hospitalizations have declined for the 28th day in succession. Despite the progress, several more infectious strains of Covid-19 are spreading and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that one of them, B.1.1.7 or the so-called UK variant, will become the predominant Covid-19 strain in the U.S by March.
Reports suggest that this mutation is 35 to 45 percent more transmissible than previous forms of the virus and it was first detected in the U.S. in late December. In January, experts in the UK reported that it is also associated with an increased risk of death, though the CDC states that more studies need to be carried out to confirm this. Two other variants are also causing alarm - the Brazilian (P.1) and the South African (B.1.351) strains. The latter has spread to more than 30 countries and it is reportedly more resistant to vaccines with South Africa recently halting the use of the AstraZeneca jab in a bitter blow to its efforts to curb its infection rate. That shot did not provide enough protection against mild or moderate illness in trials involving the B.1.351 strain.
Nine cases of the South African variant have been detected in the U.S. as of February 09 according to the CDC with six in Maryland, two in South Carolin and one in Virginia. Three cases of the Brazilian strain of Covid-19 have been reported, two of which were in Minnesota while the other infection was in Oklahoma. Out of the three variants, the UK one has spread the most with Florida reporting 343 cases, the most of any state. The good news regarding the spread of the UK variant is that most manufacturers have reported that their vaccines remain effective against it.
