Health officials said that the United Kingdom or UK COVID-19 variant, also known as B.1.1.7, is now the most dominant strain spreading in the United States.
An NBC News report said that this strain is thought to be more infectious, and its transmission is adding to the growing concerns that the US may be on the edge of another outbreak.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the prevalence of 'variants of concerns' is rising and that the UK variant has taken hold across the nation.
The CDC director also said, based on their latest estimates from the agency's surveillance, the B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common COVID-19 lineage that circulates in the country.
More Infectious Variant
The spread of B.1.1.7, which, according to a UC Health report, scientists have discovered to be more infectious, is contributing to the increase in numbers of both cases and hospitalizations despite the fact that this country is vaccinating an average of almost three million people every day.
Walensky reported that some of the recent clusters of cases have been associated with daycare centers and youth sports. She also added that the uptick in contagions appears to be driven by young people.
The official explained that hospitals are seeing more and more younger adults, specifically those who are in their 30s and 40s, being admitted with severe infection.
The health official also explained, the most recent average of seven days for hospital confinements in the US, at approximately 5,000 each day, has increased 2.7 percent over the preceding week.
New reported contagions are, in a similar way, increasing, with the most recent seven-day average coming in at over 63,000 new COVID-19 cases each, a rise of 2.3 percent from the past week.
The mortality rate, on the other hand, dropped by closely 20 percent over the previous week, likely an outcome of vaccination of older populations.
More Dominant Variant in the US
NBC News also reported in January, a report the CDC published in January, the agency predicted that B.1.1.7 variant could become dominant in the US by March.
During that time of the CDC's prediction, only 76 cases of B.1.1.7 variant had been detected in 10 states, but the agency forecasted rapid growth in the coming months.
It is not unusual for a virus to transmute and evolve over time. It is not the first time either, that a COVID-19 has overtaken other variants during this pandemic.
Essentially, a mutation identified as D614G, which was originally detected in China in January 2020, spread fast through New York City and Europe before eventually turning out to be the most common variant spreading across the world.
Importance of Getting Vaccinated
Andy Slavitt, White House COVID-19 adviser said that the recent surges in cases and hospital admissions highlight the essentiality of staying vigilant, not to mention, getting vaccinated.
The White House said, around 108 million people in the US have already been given at least a single shot, and eligibility of vaccine is poised to open up to all adult Americans by next month.
Even though more research is needed, studies have proposed that the vaccines presently available provide strong protection from the B.1.1.7 variant.
There are concerns though that if COVID-19 keeps on spreading widely, other variants could appear that are able to evade the shield induced by vaccines.
As such, Slavitt convinced Americans to get vaccinated and maintain mitigation initiatives like social distancing and wearing a mask.
A similar report is shown on KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas's YouTube video below:
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