The US is playing a “brand new ball game” in terms of coronavirus control now that variants are spreading across the country, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CBS News on Friday .
Why it matters: Osterholm said the US is facing a new boom of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the UK and has since been detected in the US. Multiple studies suggest that it probably spreads more easily than the original strain of the virus.
What they say: “We are, I think for the moment, in the eye of a hurricane regarding the good news, the vaccine is coming, but the big challenge [is] with this new variant that arrived here from Europe, ”Osterholm told CBS News.
- “But beyond that, it’s all about the variants and the vaccine, and that will determine where we’re going to be next year, the year after, and the year after.”
- Osterholm predicted that between now and then the US could vaccinate more of its population “we are going to see this B.1.1.7 boom take place.”
The whole picture: His warning comes as several countries across the country relax or reverse their coronavirus restrictions.
Go deeper: New coronavirus rise in Europe warns US