Here Comes the May Wave (B.1.1.7 Variant)

[TheProle]

Covid-19 cases will likely surge again in the U.S. as the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant takes hold across the country, peaking in May before sharply declining by July, according to new data released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rise in Covid cases is expected as states relax pandemic prevention strategies for businesses, large-scale gatherings and schools and the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the U.K., spreads more rapidly throughout the country, the CDC said in the report.

The agency projected the trajectory of the pandemic based on four different scenarios of vaccination rates and state reopenings. While the case numbers differed in each scenario, the general direction of the outbreak remained mostly the same in all four forecasts with cases surging in May before falling in July.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/05/cdc-projects-a-surge-in-us-covid-cases-through-may-due-to-bpoint1point1point7-variant-before-a-sharp-decline-.html

Stay safe, get the jabs (both of them).

[dalton99a]

1. What B.1.1.7 looks like

https://news.ubc.ca/2021/05/03/ubc-researchers-unveil-first-molecular-images-of-b-1-1-7-covid-19-mutation/
UBC researchers unveil first molecular images of B.1.1.7 COVID-19 mutation

Will existing vaccines remain effective?

Our analysis revealed that even though the N501Y mutant can bind and enter our cells more readily, it can still be neutralized by antibodies that block the entry of the unmutated version of the virus into cells.

This is an important observation and adds to the growing body of evidence that the majority of antibodies elicited in our immune system by existing vaccines are likely to remain effective in protecting us against the B1.1.7 variant.

[BannonsLiver]

2. Bookmarking for June

[Hortensis]

3. B.1.617 is here also, the one believed to be doing most of the rampaging through India.

I read that B.1.1.7 produces an unusually high number of mutations, which these days grabs notice even from people who aren't molecular biologists.