WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday reported at least 618 cases of coronavirus variants across 33 states, CNN reported citing US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
According to CNN, the vast majority (611) of these cases are the more contagious variant known as B.1.1.7, which was originally detected in the United Kingdom (UK). However, Florida has the highest count, with 187 cases, and California follows with 145. The rest are scattered across a few dozen states.
Meanwhile, there are five cases of the variant called B.1.351, which was initially seen in
South Africa. Two cases are in South Carolina, and three in Maryland.
Minnesota has identified two cases of the P.1 strain, first linked to Brazil, CNN reported.
According to CDC, this does not represent the total number of such cases circulating in the US, but just those that have been found by analyzing positive samples.
The total number of coronavirus cases reported in the United States is 26,679,634, while the death toll stands at 455,875, according to Johns Hopkins University.