Variant Virus Detected in the US... Rising Concerns Over Resurgence

Concerns Over Weakening of Existing Vaccine Barriers
CDC "If Variants Spread, Cases and Deaths Will Rise Again"

Testing for the COVID-19 virus [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Amid growing concerns that the emergence of variant viruses from the UK and South Africa could weaken the protective barrier of existing vaccines, research results have shown that variant viruses have also appeared in the United States.

On the 14th (local time), according to foreign media including The New York Times (NYT), U.S. researchers announced that they had discovered seven types of COVID-19 variants expressed from the same gene across the United States. These research results came from an investigation of COVID-19 samples collected nationwide, but the researchers could not identify the original site of emergence.

Jeremy Kamil, a professor at Louisiana State University who participated in the study, said, "It seems that mutations are occurring in COVID-19," adding, "It is not yet possible to determine whether the variant COVID-19 is more contagious, but it is concerning that mutations have occurred in genes affecting human cell penetration."

The researchers also added, "It is difficult to determine whether the spread of the variant virus is due to higher transmissibility or increased movement during the holidays or 'super-spreader' events such as the Super Bowl final."

The NYT reported, "Since genetic analysis has been conducted on less than 1% of COVID-19 samples currently, it is difficult to confirm whether the variant COVID-19 has become the dominant strain."

With the spread of the UK-origin variant virus and the discovery of a U.S.-origin variant COVID-19, health authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

This is because the spread could continue again despite the rapid decrease in new confirmed cases alongside COVID-19 vaccinations. On this day, the Associated Press reported that the daily average number of confirmed cases in the U.S. fell below 100,000 for the first time in three months since November last year.

Furthermore, efforts are underway to expand face-to-face classes in elementary, middle, and high schools starting from the upcoming semester. There is growing concern that if variant COVID-19 spreads in a situation where mask-wearing and social distancing have become lax, the previous quarantine efforts could be undermined.

Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted, "If the variant COVID-19 becomes the dominant strain around March, new confirmed cases and deaths may increase."

The NYT reported, "There are concerns that if the U.S.-origin variant virus spreads while existing variant viruses have become dominant, it may become difficult to block the spread even with vaccination."

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