ADVERTISEMENTNewsom said the coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 had been confirmed earlier in the day in a Southern California patient. Fauci said he was “not surprised,” adding that additional cases of the variant would likely surface around the country and that the mutating nature of such viruses is normal. “It appears that this particular mutation does make the virus better at transmitting from one person to another,” he said. Still, the emergence of a more highly transmissible variant could make a swift rollout of immunizations all the more critical. Nevertheless, the prospect of fighting a more contagious form of the virus comes as the pandemic has raged largely out of control across much of the United States for weeks.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 31, 2020 03:22 UTC