But the CDC said there was no evidence of that yet.
“Based on scientific understanding of viruses, it is very likely that many variants are evolving simultaneously around the world,” a spokesman told CNN in a statement.
“There is also a high possibility that variants exist in the United States. However, it can take weeks or months to determine if there is a single variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 to trigger the boom in the United States. “Similar to the boom in the United Kingdom,” the spokesman added.
“Researchers have been watching American tribes since the start of the pandemic, including 5,700 specimens collected in November and December. the rise of B.1.1.7 in the United Kingdom or B.1.351 in South Africa. “
It was not immediately clear why the White House issued a statement to states speculating about a new variant of viruses originating in the US. An administration official told Jim Acosta, CNN, that the speculation began with a call with governors.
CNN received several copies of written statements sent to states last week.
“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 can be 50% more transferable, ”reads the report.
“Aggressive mitigation should be used to match a more aggressive virus; without the uniform implementation of effective face masking (two or three layers and well-fitting) and strict social removal, epidemics can quickly worsen as these variants spread and become predominant.”
The CDC follows cases of the variant first seen in Britain. Regular coronavirus testing does not tell doctors if a person is infected with a variant. To do this, laboratories need to perform much more detailed genomic tests.
So far, the CDC reported on Friday that 63 cases of people infected with a variant resembling one first detected in Britain have been reported in eight states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York , Pennsylvania and Texas. But CDC says there are probably many more cases.
What is not clear is whether these variants, which can make it easier for people to transmit the virus to others, cause the explosive spread of the virus throughout the US, parts of Europe and elsewhere.
All viruses mutate, and the coronavirus has mutated relatively slowly compared to, for example, influenza. Researchers have been monitoring the changes in the virus as it spreads around the world, posting their findings in public databases such as NextStrain and one called GISAID.
Academic researchers also said they were surprised by the White House statement, saying there was still no evidence that different versions of the virus were causing the virus to spread in the United States.
“I do not know of a variant identified in the U.S. that could be responsible for the rise we are seeing,” Scott Hensley, an expert on viruses and immunity at the University of Pennsylvania, told CNN.
“There are many reasons why infection rates have increased during the fall and winter,” Hensley added. These include the colder temperatures that people drive indoors and which can also create drier, cooler air that can spread viruses.
“The increase in cases does not necessarily have to be a genetic explanation,” he said.
Trevor Bedford of the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, which helps maintain NextStrain, also said he sees no evidence of a homemade American strain spreading more aggressively.
“We see no indication of a specific genus or variant contributing to an extraordinary number of cases in the fall / winter American epidemic,” said Bedford, who studies the spread of viruses.
“There is not one specific lineage that is growing and becoming a rapidly growing fraction of the epidemic (as seen in the UK and in South Africa).”
This does not mean that there are no variants in the USA – coronaviruses, like many viruses, change over time and the more they are transmitted. But no specific version has taken over to change the distribution rate, the researchers said.
The more the virus spreads, the more likely it is to happen, Hensley said.
“If you are a virus and have 300,000 shots on target every day, chances are one of those shots will go in. Viruses are constantly making mistakes in their genomes,” he said.
“The virus levels in our country are out of control,” he added.
“If there are many viruses, there are many opportunities for choosing variants. If someone is worried about variants, the best thing you can do is to limit the amount of virus circulating. The best way to do that is by vaccinating people and doing so with social distance. ‘