US White House COVID-19 Task Force Warns of Possible Variant Originating from the US

TF "COVID-19 Spread Twice as Fast as in Spring and Summer"
Concerns Over Possible Variant Emergence in US Similar to UK

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Concerns have been raised that a highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may be spreading independently in the United States.

According to a report from the White House COVID-19 Task Force obtained by NBC on the 8th (local time), a report warning of the possibility of an independent variant COVID-19 spread within the United States has been released. The report, published on the 3rd, raised the possibility of a COVID-19 virus variant originating within the U.S. in addition to the variant viruses that emerged in the UK and other countries, in relation to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 situation in the U.S.

White House COVID-19 Task Force holding a press conference last May [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The Task Force noted that the recent increase is more than twice as fast compared to this spring and summer. In fact, on this day, the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. exceeded 4,000 for the first time, reaching a dangerous level. On a weekly average basis, 228,400 new COVID-19 cases are confirmed daily, with 2,760 deaths occurring each day.

Because of this, it was pointed out that "behind the increase, a variant could have emerged and spread in the U.S. just like in the UK, and this variant virus may already be circulating in the community, with an infection rate possibly more than 50% higher."

However, the report did not confirm the emergence of a variant virus within the U.S., but rather raised the possibility that such a variant may have appeared. There is no specific information confirming the emergence of a variant virus in the U.S.

The Task Force also included recommendations to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., emphasizing the need to expand mask-wearing and increase the number of COVID-19 vaccine recipients. It stressed the importance of accelerating the vaccination pace.

Regarding this report, U.S. media requested confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies, but no official response has been reported so far.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.