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The variant has now been detected in 10 states and modeling data indicates the new strain has the potential to increase the United States pandemic trajectory in the coming months.
The increased transmissibility of the variant warrants universal and increased compliance with mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking, the CDC said in a statement.
"Higher vaccination coverage might need to be achieved to protect the public," the statement said. "Genomic sequence analysis through the National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance program will enable a targeted approach to identifying variants of concern in the United States."
COVID-related deaths have now surpassed two million throughout the world, with one million in the last three months. Nearly 400,000 of the total number of deaths have been in the United States.
Click here to read the CDC statement.
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