Although new cases of corona19 in the United States have slowed down, warning sounds are coming out one after another that the mutant virus could be the ember of a new pandemic.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 23rd local time, "Corona infection cases are declining, but a mutant virus with a strong transmission power may outpace vaccination rates and cause a surge in new patients."
The Washington Post (WP) also said, "While the worst corona outbreak scenarios of last year's Christmas and New Year's meetings seem to have been avoided, experts have warned that the corona threat could intensify with the emergence of new mutations."
According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of new infections in the United States as of the 23rd was about 186,000.
NYT says the number of new confirmed cases has declined by 21% over the past two weeks as a result of its own count.
However, experts point out that the spread of the mutant virus from the UK, which has a strong transmission power, is not serious.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mutations from the UK have now spread to 22 states, and the total number of infections has risen to 195.
In California, with more than 3 million coronavirus cumulative patients, 72 cases of mutations originating from the UK emerged.
Then, 50 people in Florida and 22 people in New York have mutated infections.
Dr. Caitlin Rivers of Johns Hopkins Graduate School of Public Health warned that "the corona infection curves downward, but the mutant virus can reverse in February to March." "The mutant virus can completely change the situation."
Anthony Pouch, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also pointed out the possibility of the spread of the mutant virus, saying at a White House briefing on the 21st that the number of corona infections seems to be stagnating, but it may be a temporary slowdown.
Some experts have raised concerns that the United States may be a hotbed for the corona mutation.
"The United States is currently the largest breeding ground for new mutations," said Robert Blinger, a professor of infectious disease at Johns Hopkins University, and told USA Today that more steps should be taken to track the path of the virus and contain its spread.
"There will be more variations in the future in the United States," said Larry Corey, a professor of vaccine science at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "You should keep wearing masks, avoid crowds, and get vaccinated against as many people as possible."
As of the 23rd, Johns Hopkins University counted the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the U.S. at 24,884,000 and the cumulative death toll at 415,000, respectively.
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