US Reports 10 Cases Of Vaccine Resistant Brazil Coronavirus Variant - Health Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) US health authorities have detected ten cases of the more contagious and vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant from Brazil, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in the agency's latest Morbidity and Mortality weekly report.

"As of February 28, 2021, a total of 10 P.1 cases had been identified in the United States, including the two cases described in this report, followed by one case each in Alaska, Florida, Maryland, and [five cases in] Oklahoma," the report released on Wednesday said.

The Brazil variant is problematic because the immunity acquired by those who recover from the original virus does not prevent re-infection by the variant, Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (IAID) Director Anthony Fauci said earlier in the day.

Fauci suggested during a press conference by the White House COVID-19 Task Force that an entirely new vaccine may be needed to combat the Brazil variant and that the best strategy at present is to quickly inoculate as many people as possible with existing vaccines.

The CDC report also identified the first case of the Brazil variant in the United States in a patient who was hospitalized for nine days in the state of Minnesota after arriving from Brazil in early January. The victim's traveling companion later tested positive.