US health officials fear that the novel coronavirus strain that originated in the United Kingdom will become dominant in the United States by March, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday.
"Were concerned that over the next month or so it might become dominant," Fauci said during a White House briefing by US health officials.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said the UK variant now accounts for 1 to 4 % of US coronavirus cases.
According to Fauci, existing vaccines appear more than 95% effective against the UK variant of the novel coronavirus in laboratory tests.
The South African strain of the novel coronavirus appears more problematic given that laboratory tests show a five- to six-fold diminution of overall efficacy, Fauci added.
A South African vaccine trial has indicated the vaccine appears effective in protecting against severe and often fatal cases of COVID-19 even if recipients are susceptible to less-severe infections, according to the US official.
