Gottlieb warns of potential for new outbreaks fueled by New York virus variant
Washington — Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), warned that a worrying coronavirus variant could be fueling new outbreaks in New York City, the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in the early days of the pandemic.
"You're seeing a lot of infection surging in pockets of New York City. What we don't understand with 1.526 is whether or not people are being reinfected with it and whether or not people who might have been vaccinated are now getting infected with it," Gottlieb said Sunday on "Face the Nation," referring to B.1.526, the scientific name for the variant first detected in New York.
Gottlieb said that the B.1.526 variant is concerning because it carries a mutation found in another variant first detected in South Africa, B.1.351, which could allow it to reinfect those who have previously contracted COVID-19 or who have since been vaccinated against the virus.
"The question is whether 1.526 is responsible for some of the increases that we're seeing in New York right now and whether this is the beginning of a new outbreak inside the city," stated Gottlieb.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scott-gottlieb-coronavirus-new-york-variant-face-the-nation/
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