In an interview with “Face the Nation,” Gottlieb said the new variant accounted for about 0.5% of all infections nationwide, but that would likely double every week.
“This is the experience of other countries and this is the experience we have seen so far in the United States,” he told “Face the Nation”. “So it’s 1% now. It will be 2%, then 4%, then 8%, then 16%, then 32%. So in about five weeks it’s going to start to take hold. “
Known as B.1.1.7, the new strain was detected in the UK in December and has since spread to more than 30 countries and at least 10 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report Friday that the variant discovered in the UK, believed to be the most transmissible, will be the dominant strain by March. Another variant, known as B.1.351, has also appeared in South Africa.
While B.1.351 has yet to be detected in the United States, Gottlieb said that “the bottom line is these strains are already there. “
“It really changes the equation, and I think what we’re looking at is a relentless attack from this virus heading into the spring, when infections would have really started to decline in the spring,” he said. “We would have had a calm spring. We could have had consistently high infection levels in the spring until we finally had enough people vaccinated. “
There have been more than 23.7 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and the death toll is approaching 400,000 according to Johns Hopkins University. But Gottlieb echoed a prediction from Dr Rochelle Walensky, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the CDC, that the country is expected to experience 500,000 coronavirus deaths by mid-February.
“I think tragically, it’s true. What we’ll probably see is that the infection starts to go down. I think we’re seeing it right now. We are seeing a short-term spike in terms of the number of new daily cases, ”he said. “Now, unfortunately, deaths and hospitalizations will continue to increase over the next two to three weeks as they are a lagging indicator. But we’ll see continued declines probably for about four weeks, maybe five weeks until this new variant starts to take over. “
Gottlieb said the new strains and the growing number of deaths underscore the need to step up the pace of coronavirus vaccine delivery.
Biden’s incoming administration has set a goal of 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of his tenure, and Gottlieb has said that goal is achievable.
“I think the plan presented by the new administration makes a lot of sense,” he said. “It’s kind of an all-above approach, which we talked about, trying to get that through different channels like big box stores, like drug stores, trying to create more federally chartered sites collaboratively. with States. “
According to the CDC, more than 31.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been distributed and more than 12.2 million administered.
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