“I also know that there are concerns about different viruses mutating, and we always expected variants to appear, and we looked for that,” Walensky said.
“The recently identified variants seem to spread more easily. They are more transferable, which could lead to an increase in the number of cases, and increased strain on our already over-tax system,” Walensky added.
When Jeff Zients, head of Covid-19, started the call, his sound was occasionally audible.
Walensky also had problems with her muted line.
“Rochelle? Rochelle?” asks someone from outside the camera.
Dr. Anthony Fauci talked for almost an entire minute while he was on mute, and at that point the sound dawned and he was informed about the issue.
The briefing includes an updated U.S. coronavirus coronavirus death forecast from Walensky, who said the CDC’s ensemble forecast now plans for 479,000 to 514,000 deaths by February 20.
Unlike some individual models, the CDC’s ensemble forecast only offers projections a few weeks into the future. The previous ensemble forecast, published on January 20, predicted up to February 8, 508,000 deaths from the coronavirus.
At least 425,406 people have already died in Covid-19 in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
CNN’s Ben Tinker contributed to this report.