Despite the fact that vaccination efforts against the new coronavirus have advanced significantly in the United States and that to date almost 41% of the population is fully vaccinated, mutations in the virus remain a matter of concern. Now, scientific data reveals that the COVID variant that emerged in India is found in 46 US states.
The variant identified as B.1.617.2, which was detected in India for the first time, has turned out to be more contagious and has contributed to the fatal rates of COVID-19 in that country, where deaths already total about 340,000.
According to the analysis of the Outbreak Info platform, the prevalence of this mutation in the US increased from just 1% among new COVID-19 cases in early May, to 7% by the last week of the month. Scientists consider that this variant is 60% more transmissible than others, which would explain its rapid expansion.
While the United States has seen a drop in the numbers of new infections and deaths, largely due to the rapidity with which vaccines have been distributed, the medical community still does not know exactly how effective immunization against virus variants can be.
Behavior of variant B.1.617.2 according to Outbreak Info analysis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized that this mutation of the virus is of global concern, requiring further attention and analysis. The doctor Anthony Fauci, leader of the national operation against the coronavirus, affirmed that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can protect against this variant, although he also anticipated that a third dose of these drugs will probably be required within a year.
According to Outbreak Info, which is a platform that condenses data from scientific sources related to the pandemic and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, lA variant B.1.617.2 has been detected in 46 states of the American Union and in at least 59 countries around the world.
Experts and US health authorities have called for a full vaccination as soon as possible, because the more people are vaccinated, the transmission rate of the virus also decreases and, with this, the possibility of new mutations arising, since the virus can change when it is spread from one person to another.
COVID-19 Vaccines Available in the U.S. for People 12 Years of Age and Older and it is expected that this year they can be applied to younger children.
