The new USA variant, in addition to the variant found in the U.K., is already spreading in communities and appears to be more transmissible, according to the report that was issued to states on Jan. 3. The task force provided few details on the new strain, including how long it has been circulating. Aggressive mitigation must be used to match a more aggressive virus; without uniform implementation of effective face masking (two or three ply and well-fitting) and strict social distancing, epidemics could quickly worsen as these variants spread and become predominant, officials warned in the report.
Public health officials were already worried about the arrival of a new strain of the virus found in the U.K., known as B.1.1.7.
U.S. health experts continue to raise alarm over the country s slow vaccine rollout. As of Tuesday morning, just 4.8 million vaccine doses had been administered across the country, out of a total 17 million doses distributed to administration sites, according to the CDC. CVS Health said Wednesday it s on pace to complete the first round of vaccinations at long-term care facilities by Jan. 25. The company also said a small number of vaccine doses could be made available at pharmacy locations in the coming weeks ahead of a broad rollout. Experts have recommended a number of changes to improve the pace of vaccinations, including broadening early eligibility and reducing stored capacity for second doses.
Also over the weekend, several countries announced plans to shut their borders to Britain as news of a highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus led the British government to backtrack on plans to let families mix over Christmas. The U.K. is locking down London and other areas in southern England where infections by the Covid mutation are heavily concentrated.
The U.S. is recording at least 215,700 new Covid-19 cases and at least 2,600 virus-related deaths each day, based on a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using Johns Hopkins University data.
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:
Also over the weekend, several countries announced plans to shut their borders to Britain as news of a highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus led the British government to backtrack on plans to let families mix over Christmas. The U.K. is locking down London and other areas in southern England where infections by the Covid mutation are heavily concentrated.
The U.S. is recording at least 215,700 new Covid-19 cases and at least 2,600 virus-related deaths each day, based on a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using Johns Hopkins University data.
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University: