New Covid-19 variant will dominate across U.S. in coming months: CDC

Health and disease infectious experts in the country are anxious that these numbers could increase due to the presence of the new COVID-19 variant. Assuming that the variant is 50 percent more transmissible than other viral versions already spreading in the United States and that around 10 to 30 percent of people have immunity against any form of the virus from a previous bout of COVID-19, B.1.1.7 could cause most coronavirus cases in the country by March, the researchers found.

Although, there is no known difference in clinical outcomes associated with the described SARS-CoV-2 variants, the CDC warned that a higher rate of transmission will lead to more cases.

Moreover, the CDC believes the new variant circulating across the country is still at low levels.

But while B.1.1.7 might be present at low levels now, it has the potential to drive a surge in US cases and outpace the most prevalent viral variants currently infecting people in two months, researchers report January 15 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. However, the numbers could be higher since testing for it has not been routinely conducted.

They also added that this will be a factor in the increase of cases in March.

"With the USA already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public", said the CDC.

In addition to enhanced genomic surveillance, continued compliance with effective public health measures, including vaccination, physical distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, and isolation and quarantine, will be essential to limiting the spread of the virus, it noted.

He also added that they want to sound the alarm and urge people to continue to do the things or the protocols they knew would work.

New research suggests that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine can still protect against the mutation, as well as over a dozen other strains.

Read also: Colorado Confirms First Case of Coronavirus New Variant in the U.S.

Researchers have identified that the B.1.1.7 variant, which was discovered first in the United Kingdom, carries a mutation in the S protein (N501Y) that affects the conformation of receptor-binding domain. This virus transmits more easily from person to person. This variant also has 13 other mutations including a deletion at positions 69 and 70 (del69-70) that is hypothesized to increase transmissibility. Additionally, the new variants detected in South Africa and Brazil were reported to be more transmissible than the B117.