Florida has become America’s new ‘super-COVID’ hotspot and leads the country in known cases.
At least 46 cases of the highly contagious variant first identified in the UK have been found in the Sunshine State, more than double the initial figure of 22.
This took place just 20 days after the first case was identified on New Year’s Eve.
The new strain, B 1.1.7., Is feared to be up to 70 percent more transmissible and more easily distributed among children.
It comes on the same day that 13 cases were identified by a laboratory in North Carolina, which today reported no cases of the variant.
This means that nearly 150 Americans have been infected with the strain since the first case was identified late last year.
Recently, researchers from the University of Arizona say it may have been six weeks in the US a little earlier than expected.
The team says that the variant was possible behind a group of cases in California that were traced back to November 6 and another took place on November 23 in Florida.
In addition, a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 60 provinces around the world are now reporting cases of the variant.
At least 146 Americans in 21 states have been infected with the highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in the UK
A new WTO report found that B 1.1.7. was detected in 60 countries (yellow and stripes), ten more countries than it was seven days ago
There are currently 146 cases in 21 U.S. states, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of federal and state data.
This includes at least 46 cases in Florida; 40 in California; 13 in North Carolina; ses in Colorado; five in Minnesota; four each in Indiana and New York; two each in Connecticut, Maryland and Texas; and one each in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The cases in North Carolina are the most recent identified by MAKO Medical Laboratories, which has two locations in Henderson and the third in Raleigh.
“Our findings show that the mutation has begun to work in the United States,” Steve Hoover, vice president of laboratory operations at MAKO Medical, said in a statement.
“We are in constant communication with public health leaders to keep them informed and up to date.”
Florida, however, leads the country in business at 46.
Dr. Marco Salemi, a professor at the University of Florida and molecular biologist, said the Miami Herald is appealing to the state and federal governments to expand oversight of the new variant.
“We know it’s in Florida,” he said.
‘What percentage [of cases] is impossible to say. The genomes we have were probably collected before or at the beginning of the launch [the variant] in Florida. ‘
The Florida Department of Health has so far only followed up on about 3,000 samples.
Last week, the CDC published a report predicting that the new variant will become the dominant tribe by March 2021.
This led to President Joe Biden asking for more funding for efforts to genetically sequence the virus at the federal level.
Meanwhile, in his weekly update announced on Tuesday, the WHO announced that B 1.1.7. is now in ten countries more than seven days ago.
Countries outside the UK to report cases of the variant include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the USA.
The WHO report also mentioned relatives of the variant that was first identified in South Africa and Brazil.
The South African variant has now been identified in 23 countries, three countries more than ten days ago.
The tribe first originated in the south of England in October in the county of Kent and quickly became the dominant tribe in Britain.
This led to a huge increase in infections with one in 30 Londoners infected with it and plunging the country into a third trap.
In a recent statement, Dr Ashish K Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said urgent aggressive action is needed to limit the spread of new strains as several healthcare systems have a severe shortage of beds and resources.
‘This new, more contagious variant will change the underlying dynamics of the pandemic, with exponential growth in infections making it much more difficult for the virus to limit and overburden our stressed healthcare system.
“The US health care system is already suffering from the burden of the pandemic that is causing the current (old) tension,” he wrote.
But, perhaps most importantly, Jha says that nationwide vaccination efforts should be increased
Gigi Gronvall, an immunologist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, agrees.
“I do not believe anyone thinks this variant is the reason we have such horrible numbers in the US, but it is not a good indication when you look at whether things could possibly be worse,” she told Miami. said. Herald.
‘So we need to get vaccinations in our arms as soon as possible.
