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Even as over 70 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed in the US, while nearly 53 million Americans have been vaccinated, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has warned Americans that the deadly COVID-19 variant first found in the UK has now been detected in the US and that it could be become the dominant form of the virus by March.
So, in any circumstance do not let your guard down.
According to CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, more than 1,000 cases of the UK COVID-19 variant have now been reported in the US.
Walensky warned that the B.1.1.7 variant, thought to have emerged in Britain, is already strengthening its roots in America and could soon turn into the dominant strain.
So far, more than 27,645,500 cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in the US, and over 485,400 people have lost their lives, according to the data by Johns Hopkins University.
DOMINANT STRAIN WARNING IN U.S.
Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, the CDC director said that as per the estimates by health authorities in the US, about 4% of coronavirus cases in this country are related to B.1.1.7. She added that authorities have projected that the deadly UK strain may be the dominant strain by the end of March.
Walensky’s warning came after the British scientists in a study said that B.1.1.7 COVID-19 strain might be more likely to trigger more deadly cases.
The research was posted late last week on a UK government website, reported the New York Times. But scientists emphasize that the majority of coronavirus cases are not fatal, and their new study was based on only a small number of deaths in the UK.
WHAT IS B.1.1.7 STRAIN?
This strain is apparently known to have spread to at least 82 countries. What is concerning is that it is thought to be transmitted between 35 and 45 percent more easily than other COVID-19 variants already found in the US, reported the New York Times.
As COVID-19 vaccinations gather steam in the country, the CDC director said that Americans should remain cautious and continue to follow social distancing and mask-wearing to limit coronavirus spread.
US President Joe Biden had earlier announced that the country will have enough vaccines to inoculate 300 million Americans by summer.
ALL AMERICANS COULD GET COVID-19 VACCINE BY APRIL: FAUCI
US top leading infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said last week that the country could start letting Americans have access to coronavirus vaccines in April. He added that the US may be able to inoculate most Americans by the middle or end of the summer.
The top expert had also told ProPublica that COVID-19 vaccines could be authorized for children by September.
Drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna have begun COVID-19 vaccines trials for children (older age groups).
Pfizer's trial has 2,259 participants – children between ages 12-15. The drugmaker said it expects results of this trial "in the early part of 2021” and then it will “plan to finalize its study in 5-11 year olds.”
Moderna, on the other hand, continues to enrol participants in its trial in children between ages 12-18. The drugmakers apparently has plans to start test its vaccine on kids between 6 months and 11 years old, according to a CNN report.
Meanwhile, the US CDC had recently released new COVID-19 guidelines which say that Americans who are fully vaccinated can now skip quarantines even if they are exposed to a COVID-19 positive person.
The US remains the worst-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic. India is at the second worst-affected country with more than 10,916,500 cases, while Brazil is at third place with over 9,834,500 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
Globally, COVID-19 has infected more than 108,994,600 people and claimed over 2,402,900 lives since it first emerged in China’s Wuhan in December 2019.