US NIH monitoring UK Covid-19 variant but South African one âmore concerningâ
By Reuters
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Washington - The United States is closely watching the more infectious variant of Covid-19 after British officials warned that it may also be more deadly, US National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said on Saturday.
But US health officials are somewhat more worried about a separate variant from South Africa, although that one has not yet been identified among US cases of the novel coronavirus, he told MSNBC in an interview.
Collins noted the UK s data was preliminary, and said it was unclear why those with the UK variant faced a higher risk of death, whether by changes in the virus itself or other external causes such as pressures on the healthcare system.
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Jan 23, 2021 11:59 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is closely watching the more infectious variant of COVID-19 after British officials warned that it may also be more deadly, U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said on Saturday.
But U.S. health officials are somewhat more worried about a separate variant from South Africa, although that one has not yet been identified among U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus, he told MSNBC in an interview.
Collins noted the UK s data was preliminary, and said it was unclear why those with the UK variant faced a higher risk of death, whether by changes in the virus itself or other external causes such as pressures on the healthcare system.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins about the ongoing pandemic, delays in the mass vaccination campaign and the impending political transition.