Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that cases of the COVID-19 variant first detected in Brazil are on the rise in the United States.
According to the data Released Thursday, there are 434 reported cases of the P.1 variant in 28 jurisdictions.
Most cases are reported in Massachusetts, where there are 102 cases. Other states hardest hit by the P.1 variant include Illinois with 93 cases, Florida with 87 cases and California with 39.
The P.1. variant is the second most common variant in the US, according to the data. The Washington Post noted that this is the first time the variant is second.
The data comes as the U.S. struggles with rising coronavirus infections, even as the daily vaccination rate rises. The increase in cases is likely to be influenced, at least in part, by the variants spreading in the US
CDC Director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyOvernight Health Care: Biden Recalls Trump-Approved Medicaid Work Requirements in Michigan, Wisconsin | CDC director says racism is a serious threat to public health Current bad points of COVID-19: CDC director from Brazil and India says racism is a serious threat to public health. The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Let’s Make Infrastructure and Tax Agreement Said Wednesday that the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the UK, is now the most dominant strain of the virus in the US. The variant spreads more easily and can cause more infections.
The CDC’s data show that 19 554 strains of the B.1.1.7 variant were reported across 52 jurisdictions in the USA.
Meanwhile, there were 424 cases of the B.1.351 variant – first detected in South Africa – in the USA
Overall, the average seven days of Thursday was about 64,000, an increase in cases after the past month stagnated. Yet it is far from the country’s peak in January.