Health officials said they are worried about the new COVID-19 variants that have begun to pop up throughout the United States, and what they might mean for the public at large.
What’s going on?
New variants to COVID-19 have started to appear throughout the United States. For example, Minnesota reported for the first documented case of the Brazil variant on Monday, according to NPR.
What it means for you
Emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen told CNN on Monday that the new variants could make everyday activities riskier.
- “We’ve seen what happens in other countries that have actually had coronavirus under relatively good control, then these variants took over and they had explosive spread of the virus, and then overwhelmed hospitals,” Wen said.
- “If there is something more contagious among us, if we thought that going to the grocery store before was relatively safe, there’s actually a higher likelihood of contracting coronavirus through those every day activities,” she said.
Wen told CNN that the United States has seen a little decline in COVID-19 cases lately. But new variants could throw all of that out the window and bring the country back to square one.
- “Wearing an even better mask, reducing the number of times that we have to go out shopping, or in indoor crowded settings, all of that will be helpful,” Wen added.
Time to wear two masks?
Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC News’ “Today” show on Monday that double-masking “likely does” protect people more, especially as variants continue to filter through the country.
- “So if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective,” Fauci told the “Today” show. “That’s the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95.”