New mutant variants of the coronavirus could run unnoticed in the U.S. due to a low level of genetic sequencing on positive COVID tests in the country, health officials say.
There are now more than 350 cases of ‘supercovid’ in the US of the three strains first detected in Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
However, health officials believe that the number of new variants spread in the country is very likely, as viruses naturally constantly mutate as they spread.
Some mutations can adversely affect a virus, causing it to become extinct, but it is the fact that some can be more lethal, or even vaccine-resistant.
Scientists are usually able to monitor different strains through genetic sequencing, which enables them to examine the virus from active cases and study how the specific strain will infect others and respond to vaccines.
The South African variant has a mutation in its ear protein (circulated in yellow) that makes it more contagious, capable of re-infection and possibly more immune to vaccines. Two people in South Carolina are the first American cases, but because they have not traveled recently and have no clear link, the variant may already be spreading in the US.
A further 165,339 cases were reported on Friday with 3,503 deaths – a slight decrease compared to the previous day
Although none of the three new COVID variants is more lethal, it is more transmissible and experts fear it could reduce the effects of the vaccine.
But the detection of new variants by these means was a challenge in the US, where only a fraction of positive coronavirus tests are sent for further sequence, according to The Washington Post.
Health officials say the emerging tribes have now put medical experts and scientists in a race against time to identify new potentially deadly forms of COVID-19.
“Genomic surveillance is probably the most important thing, except for the covid-19 test, that we can do to detect the virus,” said RNA biochemist Keith Gagnon of the University of Illinois. “Without it, we fly blind.”
Although health experts and scientists support the efforts to follow widespread order, it appears that the shortage is due to a lack of funding, according to the report.
The issue reflects the barriers faced in the early days of the pandemic when the coronavirus spread across the country due to a lack of testing.
The new variants have raised fears that they could possibly derail the vaccination efforts in the country and wipe out months of progress.
“Not every mutation is the same,” says Mary Petrone, who studies infectious diseases at Yale University. “The virus is going to be happy now and then.”
The number of people hospitalized in the US continued to decline in each state
Recent data also offers a glimmer of hope in the country’s fight against the virus, with infections and hospitalization rates falling almost everywhere in the US.
And on Friday, zero states reported a record number of weekly cases for the first time since November 1, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Hospitalizations remain above 101,000, but the number continues to decline in almost every state.
There are currently more than 25.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country and 436,257 total deaths.
Another 165,339 cases were reported on Friday with 3,503 deaths – a slight decrease compared to the previous day.
Although none of the three strains detected so far are more deadly, they appear to spread more easily, leading to more hospitalizations and deaths.
One of the three main variants that experts are watching was discovered in the UK late last year and has since been detected in dozens of countries.
According to the COVID tracking project, for the first time since November 1, zero states reported a record number of weekly cases.
Health officials initially said it did not appear to be causing the disease, but some newer information suggested it was possible – which is currently unknown.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the variant could become dominant in the US by March.
Other variants that were first detected in South Africa and in Brazil also look more contagious, experts say.
The data so far indicate that current vaccines still need to protect against these variants, but there are concerns that their effectiveness may be slightly reduced.
There is evidence that some antibody treatments may be less effective against certain variants.
There are ways to tailor vaccines and treatments to maintain their effectiveness, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading American expert in infectious diseases, said.
