CDC Estimates New COVID Variant Will Become the Predominant Form in the US by Spring

The numbers of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations continues to decline across the country. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 72,000 new cases each day on average, over the past week. Even though numbers are slowly starting to go down, concerns remain about the new COVID variants. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director says, "CDC scientists estimate that the B1117 variant will be the predominant form of the virus in the United States by mid to late March." That is the highly contagious variant first identified in the UK, and now identified in at least 45 states. Other variants are concerning too, and to address the growing threat, the CDC is teaming up with public and private labs, to better identify the variants. A report from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows signs of hope. It says case and death tolls have dropped 70% over the past 5 weeks in the US. Correspondent Mark Irons reports.

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