The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it is monitoring multiple new COVID-19 variants, further complicating the landscape of strains currently circulating nationwide. Among the variants under CDC surveillance is EU.1.1, a strain that gained attention earlier this year due to its rapid emergence in several European countries.
EU.1.1 is a more distant descendant of the XBB.1.5 variant, which saw a surge earlier this year. It possesses additional mutations in its spike protein, potentially contributing to its increased transmissibility. According to the CDC’s estimates, EU.1.1 currently accounts for 1.7% of COVID-19 cases across the United States, although it may have already reached as high as 8.7% of cases in the Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming region, CBS News reported.
As of late, it remains uncertain whether EU.1.1 will result in new or different symptoms in the United States. While there have been anecdotal reports, health officials have emphasized the lack of substantial evidence indicating previous variants led to changes in the effects of COVID-19. The evolution of immunity among infected individuals over time can affect how the virus manifests, further complicating reports of symptom shifts.
Nearly all Americans are estimated to possess antibodies from vaccination, prior infection, or a combination of both. The CDC reported that an increasing proportion of hospitalizations and deaths now result from reinfections.
Utah laboratories have sequenced the highest number of EU.1.1 infections compared to other states, with the state’s public health laboratory reporting nearly 100 cases to global virus databases. In contrast, neighboring Nevada and Colorado labs have only reported single-digit numbers of sequenced EU.1.1 infections.
Despite the prevalence of EU.1.1 cases in Utah, the state’s overall COVID-19 trends align with the rest of the country, currently reflecting record-low levels observed during…
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