Dr Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser on the Chinese coronavirus, estimates on Friday that the B117 variant probably accounts for 20 to 30 percent of virus cases in the United States.
The British virus variant, which according to Fauci is a “significant degree of concern in Europe”, is becoming “more and more dominant” in the US. The B117 variant is more contagious than the original strain.
‘This variant, as you know, is becoming more and more dominant in our own country every day … It was first detected in the United Kingdom in December 2020. The first US cases were detected in the United States in Colorado at the end of December 2020, ‘Fauci said during the White House briefing on Friday.
“And since then, it has been detected in 50 jurisdictions in the United States, and that’s probably about 20 to 30 percent of the infections in this country, and it’s increasing,” he added.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases noted that “approx. [a] 50 percent increase in transmission “with the variant and” probably an increase in severity of the disease if infected with this variant. He cited one British study indicating a “64 percent increased risk of death” for those infected with the variety strain.
Once again identifying the tension as a ‘growing threat’ in the country, Fauci stressed the importance of getting Americans vaccinated as quickly and as quickly as possible with the vaccine we know works against this variant, while still maintaining public health measures, such as social distancing and universal masking.
Just over a year ago, Fauci turned down the need for masks during March 2020. 60 minutes “At the moment in the United States, people should not walk around with masks … There is no reason to walk around with a mask.”
Happy anniversary of one of the worst things ever.
Today, a year ago, dr. Fauci went 60 minutes and said you do not have to wear a mask.
“Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks … There is no reason to walk around with a mask.” pic.twitter.com/dTfjoxWFjf
– Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 8, 2021
“If you’re in the middle of an outbreak, it might be a little better to wear a mask, and it might even block a drop, but it does not provide the perfect protection that people think it is,” Fauci said the time, warns against “unintended consequences” such as people “fiddling with the masks” and “touching their face.”
The U.S. reported 29,490,832 cumulative cases of the virus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 19. Florida, a state with limited to no coronavirus restrictions, is reporting fewer and fewer new cases of the virus than the blue New York, which has a nationwide mandate and other restrictive measures.