Assume the more infectious coronavirus variant is in your community
UPDATE: Jan. 19, 2021 at 10:10 a.m. EST: On Jan. 15, the CDC reported the more transmissible coronavirus variant from the UK (known as B.1.1.7) is spreading rapidly and is expected to become the dominant U.S. strain by March.
You may have missed it.
The same day a mob of weapon-bearing Trump-zealots hijacked the Capitol Building, fatally injured a police officer, carved "Murder the media" on a door, and marched freely through the halls with a Confederate flag, the coronavirus killed nearly 4,000 Americans. It was the deadliest COVID-19 day in the U.S., but only for a short time. Regrettably, the following day COVID-19 deaths eclipsed 4,000. That equals almost 24 Oklahoma City bombings.
Yet the latest coronavirus outbreaks in the U.S. come with another unsettling reality. A new, more contagious variant — some 40 to 70 percent more infectiousthan previous strains and responsible for skyrocketing cases in the UK — is spreading in the U.S., though the CDC estimates its prevalence in reported cases is still low. The variant has been confirmed in Texas, New York, Florida, California, Colorado, and beyond. The impacts could grow serious, as previous coronavirus strains were already excellent at spreading. Infectious disease experts emphasize it's wise to assume the new strain (dubbed the B.1.1.7 lineage) has been spreading for at least weeks in the U.S., and will continue spreading.
"It's a safe assumption that this virus can be found in communities all around the country," said Brian Labus, a public health expert at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The true extent of spread in the U.S. is uncertain because the nation currently lacks the resources to undertake rigorous genomic sequencing of the coronavirus. This means regularly analyzing the virus in infected patients to identify both common and newly mutated strains. (In contrast, the UK, where researchers first discovered this more infectious variant, has an advanced coronavirus surveillance system.)
The more transmissible variant is becoming dominant in parts of the UK, and will likely grow dominant in regions around the U.S., too. It has an edge over less infectious strains.
"That's how virus dynamics work," said Mark Cameron, an immunologist at Case Western Reserve University who previously helped contain the outbreak of another deadly coronavirus, SARS, in 2003. "The variant has a competitive advantage. The virus will dominate. The virus will spread faster."
"That's a bitter pill to swallow," he added.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
There is "good news," however. The coronavirus vaccines, which proved safe and effective through a meticulous vetting process in the U.S., are expected to work on the mutated strain, Labus said. (Viruses naturally and often mutate, so virologists and drugmakers plan for some degree of change when creating vaccines.) What's more, the new variant hasn't shown to be more virulent, meaning more harmful to the body, emphasized Labus. There's no evidence it will increase the rate of hospitalizationand deathin those infected. "It's the same disease," he said.
"The virus will dominate. The virus will spread faster."
But, if the more infectious variant tends to infect more people than previous strains, this means more hospitalized individuals overall than otherwise would have occurred. Grimly, more sick inevitably means more deaths, said Cameron. The mounting sick will continue to strain already-overburdened hospitals, some of which are already in crisis.
What can we do?
Fortunately, we aren't powerless. The arrival of the new variant means fighting pandemic fatigue and boosting vigilance about what you likely already know:
Avoid all gatherings and crowds.
Wear masks in public (to both avoid unwittingly exhaling and inhalingthe virus).
Wash your hands, often, with soap and water.
Stay at least six feet away from people you don't live with.
"There's even more reason to follow common-sense precautions," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an M.D. and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
"Now it's even more critical that you practice the good old things that Fauci has been talking about for the last year," agreed Dr. Peter Gulick, a D.O. and professor of medicine at Michigan State University.
Yet as the new variant spreads and vaccinations lag, some of our public behaviors may need to change, emphasized Cameron. For example, we've learned how to reduce (but not nearly eliminate) the risk of spreading COVID-19 in many workplaces, at doctors' offices, and during outdoor dining. But those measures might not cut it anymore. "All of a sudden risk increases," said Cameron. Perhaps we'll need to start enhancing our masks (double-masking), or reduce the number of people allowed in certain workplaces.
This new, mutated strain is more infectious because it has changed the notorious spikes that protrude from the coronavirus. It makes the spike significantly better at binding to human cells and, like a key, entering. "It attaches quicker, and gets into cells quicker, and infects quicker," said Gulick.
Tweet may have been deleted
What's more, disease experts emphasized getting vaccinated with the deeply vetted, FDA-approved vaccines when your state allocates them to you. Vaccines are an extraordinary public health achievement: They're the reason you don't know anyone in the U.S. suffering the terrible ills of smallpox or polio. For this latest pandemic, we must vaccinate around 80 percent of the populace to achieve widespread herd immunity. This makes it difficult for the virus to move through the population.
We can't, however, contend with this new variant alone. We'll need the help of the incoming Biden administration if we want to track the spread of this variant (along with inevitable, forthcoming mutations).
"We need to restore our connection to global efforts to sequence and track this virus as it circulates as well as invest highly in tracking the evolution of this virus within our own borders," said Cameron.
Don't become a host
Avoiding infections will give the virus fewer opportunities to mutate and possibly grow into more infectious or drug-resistant strains. Remember, viruses are excellent parasites. They rely on hosts to multiply, spread, and change.
"We are as a global community, but especially in the U.S., giving this virus free rein to infect lots of people, and free rein to evolve to higher pathogenicity," said the immunologist Cameron. "We know this virus is capable of evolving to be more dangerous."
The virus can particularly succeed while it's replicating inside the bodies of people with weakened immune systems (such as those with chronic illnesses, smokers, and older people). "Immunodeficent patients hold onto the virus more," Dr. Gulick said. "It lingers longer."
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
The virus wants to exploit your body so it can reproduce. Indeed, the coronavirus is "possibly 10 times or more"deadlier than most flu strains, but it often doesn't kill too quickly. "The main purpose of that virus is to keep you alive," stressed Dr. Gulick. "If it kills you quickly, it loses its hosts."
As of Jan. 11, 2021, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has compiled over 90 million reportedinfections worldwide, nearly a quarter of which have occurred in the U.S. Put another way, we're giving this virus everything it needs to flourish.
Be hyperaware, say those who know viruses best. "You really don’t want to play games with this," said Dr. Gulick.
Related Video: What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine
(责任编辑:产品中心)
- 2016's $400 GPU vs. 2019's $400 GPUs
- North Korea likely to increase provocation level
- US Ambassador Harris says alliance with S. Korea 'cornerstone of security'
- Cry us a river: Tim Cook blames iPhone rumors for iPhone sales problems
- Tesla's big software update includes something called 'Night Curfew'
- By a technicality, August's full moon is blue. Here's why.
- 雅安市第三届人民代表大会第五次会议议案审查委员会名单
- Apple shares photos and video of its fancy new store in Dubai
- Justin Bieber's selfies (and bangs) are back
- 共同推动雅安职工思想政治引领数智化发展工作做深做实
- 住上新房子 奔向好日子
- Denuclearization will be at center of new North Korea policy: US
- North Korean defectors talk about escape, new life in South in English
-
Coach jailed for sexual exploitation of underage athlete
A coach for the national jump rope team was sentenced to five years in jail for his yearlong sexual ...[详细] -
The Slate Plus Digest weekly newsletter on literature, politics, and Ivanka Trump
Ahoy, Plussards!We released the first episode of our Slate Academyseries A Year of Great Books on Th ...[详细] -
UN chief urges N. Korea to release all political prisoners
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on North Korea to release all political prisoners, ...[详细] -
[Newsmaker] Ruling party seeks last
Ruling Democratic Party Floor Leader Lee In-young said Sunday that the party would “wait until the l ...[详细] -
Newborns hit new low, but births to those unmarried reach record high: data
(Getty Images)Births to those not married accounted for nearly 5 percent of all births last year, se ...[详细] -
Justin Bieber's selfies (and bangs) are back
Justin Bieber is letting us love his selfies again. The Instagram-averse pop star, who quit the phot ...[详细] -
US defense leaders express disappointment at S. Korea
The United States' top defense leaders expressed disappointment Wednesday over an ongoing dispute be ...[详细] -
North Korea unresponsive to US calls for dialogue: White House
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks at a news briefing at the White House in Washington, DC ...[详细] -
How 3D Game Rendering Works: Texturing
In this third part of our deeper look at 3D game rendering, we'll be focusing what can happen to the ...[详细] -
Pyongyang hunkers down to explore next move
North Korea becoming more reclusive by limiting info outflow, foreign accessBy Nam Hyun-woo With its ...[详细]
- Abrar Ahmed returns as Pakistan names squad for second Test against Bangladesh
- [Herald Interview] Health Ministry pursues ‘people
- Malaysia wants to hold WhatsApp group admins responsible for fake news spread over chat
- Céline Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' should play at every basketball game
- Travel Back in Time and Uncover Old
- Cry us a river: Tim Cook blames iPhone rumors for iPhone sales problems
- North Korea likely to increase provocation level