80 Countries Confirm Cases of the UK's Coronavirus Variant

The World Health Organization (WHO) Weekly Epidemiological Update published on February 2, 2021, reported just under 3.7 million new COVID-19 cases were reported in the past week, a decline of 13% from the previous week's data.

Additionally, the WHO stated that the three SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern had been reported in more countries, with 80 now reporting the B117 variant.

The United Kingdom (UK) initially identified the B.1.1.7 variant with many mutations in the fall of 2020. This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. In January 2021, experts in the UK reported that this variant might be associated with an increased risk of death than other variant viruses. Still, more studies are needed to confirm this finding.

The UK variant was first detected in the USA at the end of December 2020. The U.S. CDC confirmed 467 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in 32 states as of January 31, 2021.