Pouch: "UK-Origin Variant Accounts for 20-30% of US Cases"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Although the winter surge of COVID-19 in the United States has somewhat subsided, variant viruses are spreading, Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated on the 19th (local time).

At a White House briefing that day, Fauci said, "The variant virus originating from the UK has been found in all 50 U.S. jurisdictions and currently seems to account for about 20 to 30% of all infections." He added, "And that number is steadily increasing."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of 5,567 variant virus infections in the U.S. as of the previous day's statistics. However, Fauci's remarks imply that the actual number of infections is estimated to be much higher than this official count.

Considering that the daily new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. recently range between 50,000 and 60,000, this means that about 10,000 to 18,000 of those are variant virus infections.

Fauci also expressed concern that symptoms appear to be more severe when infected with this variant. He said, "What is worrisome is that this particular variant found in the UK seems to have about a 50% increase in transmissibility, and infection with this variant appears to increase the severity of the disease."

However, he noted that COVID-19 vaccines provide good immune protection against B.1.1.7, and treatments such as monoclonal antibodies also seem effective. Fauci pointed out, "There are two ways to combat B.1.1.7": vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible and adhering to preventive measures such as wearing masks.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., after a sharp decline in new COVID-19 infections since early January, the number has plateaued around 50,000 to 60,000 daily cases, with some states showing a renewed upward trend in new infections, raising concerns.

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