The dangerous B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant, first spotted in the UK, is devastating other parts of the world. Ali Mokdad, head epidemiologist from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at Washington University (IHME), provided severe warnings for the American public. In addition to sticking to known safety measures, including double masking, Mokdad urges the public to continue staying away from one another throughout the summer and winter.
Tuesday night, fellow epidemiologist Michael Osterholm told CNN this variant is more contagious. Additionally, this variant “may cause more severe disease and is rapidly infecting younger populations. Recent research suggests the strain may also be more deadly.”
“If we can just hold out, if we can just get enough vaccine between now and the summer. Then we can actually beat this one,” Osterholm stated. “But… we’re impatient.”
In Early March, CNN reported:
A sample of people in the UK infected with the variant appeared to be between 32% and 104% — so around a probable 64% — more likely to die than those infected with the previously circulating coronavirus variants, according to the study published in the medical journal the BMJ on Wednesday.