Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refute reports of a new strain of coronavirus in the US, based on what they say is a speculation from Dr. Deborah Birx, member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Birx suggested to other members of the task force that there could be a new tension in the United States due to the rapid increase in infections. The hypothesis was included in a summary sent to state governors.
“The autumn / winter boom has almost twice the increase in cases such as spring and summer. This acceleration suggests that there may be a US variant that has developed here, in addition to the British variant that is already in our communities and could be 50% more transferable, ”reads the report according to the New York Times.
“Aggressive mitigation should be used to match a more aggressive virus,” she added.
The Times reports that the CDC has reached out to Birx in an effort to remove the proposal from the summary to governors. A source told the Times that the request was rejected to great frustration.
A CDC spokesman explained in an email to CNBC News why they believe Birx’s hypothesis is premature.
“Researchers have been tracking U.S. tribes since the pandemic began, including 5,700 specimens collected in November and December,” Jason McDonald wrote.
“To date, neither researchers nor CDC analysts have seen the emergence of a specific variant in the United States as seen with the rise of B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom or B.1.351 in South Africa,” he added. .
The Times reported that they had responded to Birx’s comments on the dispute, but received no response.
Here is the latest CDC on the pandemic:
CDC: Most COVID-19 transmissions come from asymptomatic people
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