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The COVID-19 strain first discovered in the U.K. is doubling in the U.S. every 10 days, presenting a potential risk of increased cases and deaths in the country, according to a study released Sunday. (Coleman, 2/7)

A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain is spreading rapidly in the United States, doubling roughly every 10 days, according to a new study. Analyzing half a million coronavirus tests and hundreds of genomes, a team of researchers predicted that in a month this variant could become predominant in the United States, potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death. (Zimmer, 2/7)

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Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that existing coronavirus vaccines would likely be about 20 percent less effective against strains of the virus believed to have originated in South Africa and Brazil – but the vaccines will still offer significant protection. (Budryk, 2/7)

Amid emerging coronavirus variants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is drafting guidance to help companies tweak vaccines, therapeutics and tests, should that need arise. "We are committed to identifying efficient processes for authorized products that may need to be modified, based on information on emerging variants," Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the FDA, said in a statement posted Thursday. "We do not believe there will be the need to start at square one with any of these products." (Rivas, 2/6)

"Variants” is the latest term to leap from the infectious disease lexicon to the general public as a result of the coronavirus, as the effects of mutations on transmission and vaccines have emerged as top global concerns. But researchers like Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern, have been looking out for genetic changes to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. (Joseph, 2/8)