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The coronavirus variant – B.1.1.7 – detected in the United Kingdom may fuel another wave of Covid-19 transmission during the spring season in the United States, US experts have speculated, CNN reported.
This comes as the World Health Organization, in its latest situation report, stated that the variant of concern has been reported from 101 countries across all six WHO regions.
“Increased transmissibility of B.1.1.7 will certainly stretch out the circulation of Covid-19 and make it harder to bring under control relative to the non-B.1.1.7 scenario, but I'm not sure at this point how much of a spring B.1.1.7 wave to expect,” Trevor Bedford, a scientist who works at the Freud Hutchinson Cancer Research Center tweeted.
Bedford cited multiple studies in a series of tweets and said that B.1.1.7 will reach 50 per cent frequency in the US by late March.
Also read: Overreaction of innate immune system worsens Covid-19 severity: Study
He added the situation will become clear shortly as they continue to track the trajectory of countries like Denmark and Switzerland.
In an interview with CNN, Bedford said that the UK variant could result in “more of a wave” around April or May. He added that the vaccination drive and Covid-19 protocols can help prevent further transmission.
Dr. Josh Schiffer agreed with Bedford’s speculations. He believes that the prevention of a “fourth wave altogether” is “going to be difficult” due to the highly infectious nature of mutated variants.
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