Is there a new highly contagious COVID variant in the US? Published: Updated: Tags: JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three days after a White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting where Dr. Deborah Birx spoke about a growing number of coronavirus cases around the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it found no evidence to indicate that a United States homegrown variant is to blame. The CDC made this announcement after an erroneous report surfaced following the White House Coronavirus Task Force members’ weekly report, where Birx wrote: “This fall/winter surge has been at nearly twice the rate of rise of cases as the spring and summer surges. This acceleration suggests there may be a USA variant that has evolved here in addition to the UK variant that is already spreading in our communities.”