UK Covid variant spreading rapidly across US: Study

Washington, Feb 9 : A new study has suggested that the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK late last year is spreading rapidly across the US, raising concerns over another resurgence in the hardest-hit country.
Analyzing half a million coronavirus tests and hundreds of genomes, researchers have predicted that within a month, the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, could become predominant in the US, potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death, reports Xinhua news agency.
The study, posted on the preprint server MedRxiv on Sunday, echoed a forecast issued last month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which warned that the B.1.1.7 could become predominant by March if it behaved the way it did in Britain.
According to the study, detection of the variant increased at a logistic rate similar to those observed elsewhere, with a doubling rate of a little over a week and an increased transmission rate of 35 to 45 per cent.
Currently there are three dominant coronavirus variants spreading in the US, according to CDC data.
A total of 699 infection cases of the variants have been reported in at least 34 states.