Five things to know:
1. The CDC confirmed 434 cases of the variant, known as P.1, in 28 states. This figure is up from 224 cases detected in 22 states as of April 1.
2. This marks the first time the P.1 variant has overtaken the South Africa variant B.1.351 as the second most common variant in the U.S., reports The Washington Post.
3. The U.K. variant B.1.1.7 is now the most dominant strain in the U.S., according to the CDC. The agency has confirmed 19,554 cases of the variant in all 50 states as of April 8.
4. Massachusetts, Illinois and Florida have the highest P.1 variant case counts of all states.
5. Evidence suggests the P.1 variant may hinder the effectiveness of some antibody therapies, though it’s still unclear whether this variant is more infectious or deadly, according to the CDC.
More articles on public health:
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Do intense vaccine side effects point to past COVID-19 infection? 4 vaccine claims, fact-checked
