US White House COVID Task Force Says "Sufficient Possibility of US-Origin Variant"... CDC Disputes

White House Task Force: "High Possibility of Domestic Variants Besides UK Variant"
CDC: "Tested Over 5,700 Samples but No US-Origin Variant Found"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The White House's COVID-19 Task Force (TF) team has sparked controversy in the United States by suggesting the possibility of a distinct U.S.-origin variant of the virus in addition to the UK-origin variant. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a rebuttal statement, revealing confusion within the health authorities.

According to foreign media including CNN on the 9th (local time), the White House COVID-19 TF team stated in a report sent to state governments on the 3rd that "the spread during the third wave of COVID-19 in fall and winter is nearly twice that of the spring and summer spread," and "this suggests that there may be a U.S.-origin variant in addition to the UK-origin variant." So far, two major COVID-19 variants have been identified: the UK-origin variant and the South Africa-origin variant, with no confirmation yet of a U.S.-origin variant.

In response to the White House COVID TF's announcement of the possibility of a U.S.-origin variant, the CDC issued a rebuttal statement the same day. The CDC emphasized, "We are monitoring for new variants, including analysis of over 5,700 virus samples collected in November and December, but so far we have not observed the emergence of a specific variant in the U.S." This reflects completely differing opinions within the health authorities regarding the possibility of a U.S.-origin variant.

The New York Times (NYT), citing health officials, reported that "the report on the possibility of a U.S.-origin variant is based on speculative remarks by Debby Bux, coordinator of the White House COVID-19 TF, and is inaccurate," adding that "the CDC disagrees with Coordinator Bux's views and requested the removal of that content from the report, but the request was denied."

Meanwhile, the spread of variants in the U.S. is becoming more severe. The number of states where variant cases have been detected has surged to eight. According to the CDC, confirmed cases of the UK-origin variant in the U.S. include 32 in California, 22 in Florida, 3 in Colorado, and 2 in Connecticut, with one case each in Georgia, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania.

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