The CDC director said the coronavirus variant first found in the UK is now the dominant strain in the US

• The coronavirus variant first identified in the UK was discovered outside London last year.
• The CDC director said it was now the dominant strain in the US.
• Research has suggested that it's likely associated with higher mortality than other variants.

A variant of the coronavirus first detected in the UK is now the dominant strain of the virus in the US, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The variant - B.1.1.7 - was discovered outside London last year, and in the months since, research has suggested that it's associated with higher mortality than other variants.

On Tuesday, CDC data showed the variant had spread to all 50 states.

"The B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common lineage circulating in the United States," Walensky said at the White House COVID-19 task force news conference. "The virus still has hold on us, infecting people and putting them in harm's way, and we need to remain vigilant."

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