The British coronavirus strain is doubling in the U.S. every 10 days, according to a study released Sunday on the medRxiv server.
Researchers estimated that the British variant is expected to become the predominant strain in the U.S. by March, posing a potential risk of increased cases and deaths, although the study has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.
“Our study shows that the U.S. is on a similar trajectory as other countries where B.1.1.7 rapidly became the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant, requiring immediate and decisive action to minimize COVID-19 morbidity and mortality,” according to the study.
“Nothing in this paper is surprising, but people need to see it,” said Kristian Andersen, who is the study’s co-author and a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., The New York Times reported.
Researchers estimate that the British strain has spread to at least 33 states in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, The Hill reported.
The scientists suspect that the strain constitues a higher percentage of coronaovirus cases in several states, such states as Florida, where 4.5% of cases are estimated to come from the variant.
This is in comparison to the British variant making up an estimated 2% of all cases in the U.S., according to the Times. This means that 1,000 more people may be contracting the strain every day.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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