UK COVID Variant Now Spreading in US

It has been just three weeks since U.K. health officials announced discovery of a new strain of coronavirus had been detected in Kent and was rapidly spreading northeast toward London. The variant called B.1.1.7 was found to be far more contagious -- as much more as 70%.

Almost immediately after it was detected, dozens of nations cut off travel from the U.K. Finally, after many countries had acted, the U.S. last week shut off travel from the U.K, but then quickly reversed its decision with the only requirement that U.S.-bound travelers must have tested negative within three days prior to departure.

What currently is known is that the variant is not believed to be more virulent than primary coronavirus genetic sequence. But because it spreads at almost double the rate, it has led to rapidly increased numbers of cases and hospitalizations. And that led the British government to institute the severest lockdown conditions since the pandemic began last March. Epidemiologists are in general agreement the vaccines currently approved should offer the same protection levels against the coronavirus variant, but they are rushing to study the mutation and where and how fast it has spread.

The U.S. Cases

In the United States, the variant has been detected in California, Florida and California. A Colorado man in his 20s was the first person to be identified in this country just last week. The man had no history of any significant travel. Since he had not traveled to England, public health 'disease detectives speculate the virus is mutating spontaneously in different areas regardless of travel histories that would have confirmed a link to the variant's first identification in the U.K. And just two days later, Colorado officials confirmed a second likely case of the COVID variant in a second resident of the same country.

On New Year's Eve, Florida authorities said a resident of its state, also in his 20s, had tested positive for the COVID variant strain. Again, this individual had no record of travel history outside the state. Then, in California three days ago, health officials announced six cases had been confirmed. Two were from the same household around Big Bear in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Then four cases were identified in San Diego. One of the Big bear residents testing positive had contact with a U.K. traveler who had flown to California on December 11. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said last week that this new variant strain could amount to the vast majority of COVID cases in the U.S. by March. It is now speculated the variant is likely widespread throughout the U.S., and that detection methods are lagging behind the actual number of infections.

Worrisome Mutations

World Health Organization first confirmed the variant strain last September. The main difference with this new strain is found in spike protein's genetic material. It is the spike protein that allows COVID to invade human cells. There are more than 20 changes in that genetic material of the mutated strain scientists have found thus far, which makes it far more contagious. The advent of the the COVID variant is unnerving to health officials. An increase in transmission rate also means a significant increase in virus fatality because of the increase in its reproduction rate.

Viruses tend to mutate in varying degrees because as they infect their hosts, human or animal, they acquire small alterations in their genetic structure as they infect that host population. With each new host, errors do occur in RNA copies made. Evidence of these mutations can be found not only with SARS-CoV2, but also influenza and HIV. The WHO has recorded more than 1,000 slight mutations in the coronavirus since the pandemic's beginning. But what's distinctly different about this new variant is that it has a genetic mutation causing it to be more contagious. Last July, scientists found an older version of coronavirus (G614) -- also one more contagious -- ultimately that became the most dominant one globally. And new variants of the virus are developing in other areas of the world -- one in Nigeria. In South Africa, reports the WHO, a new variant there is accounting for up to 80 percent of all cases in what has become the hardest hit country on that continent.

In the U.S. scientists are looking into the possibility that the coronavirus eventually could mutate to become resistant to current vaccines. It may ultimately transform into a mutated version, like the flu, that requires an updated vaccination yearly.