Highly transmissible COVID-19 variant first found in U.K. could be dominant in U.S. by March, CDC says - CBS News

The new coronavirus variant first seen in the United Kingdom is likely to become the dominant strain in the United States by March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new report Friday.

In each one, the new strain made up the majority of cases in the U.S.

The variant has so far been detected in at least 10 states, with approximately 76 cases as of January 13, although the actual number is expected to be much higher. .

The CDC warned that while no variant is proven to cause more severe cases, "a higher rate of transmission will lead to more cases, increasing the number of persons overall who need clinical care, exacerbating the burden on an already strained health care system, and resulting in more deaths."

© 2021 CBS Interactive Inc

Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc

Back to 365NEWSX