U.S. officials are consulting with South African scientists on the variant.

U.S.|U.S. officials are consulting with South African scientists connected the variant.

Health officials successful the United States were consulting with South African scientists Friday morning, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the calls, but it was unclear whether the Biden medication would enforce question restrictions.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden’s apical aesculapian advisor connected the coronavirus, told CNN that the caller variant appeared to beryllium spreading rapidly, but that the United States indispensable find retired whether existing vaccines are effectual against it earlier considering a question ban.

“Right now, we’re getting the worldly unneurotic with our South African colleagues to get a concern wherever you could really straight trial it,” Dr. Fauci said. “So close now, you’re talking astir benignant of similar a reddish emblem that this mightiness beryllium an contented — but we don’t know.”

Even with question restrictions, the caller variant volition inevitably scope the United States, said Michael Osterholm, an infectious illness adept astatine the University of Minnesota who advised Mr. Biden during his transition.

“We person demonstrated clip and clip again that if the variant shows up anyplace successful the world, you tin beauteous overmuch number connected it being everyplace successful the world,” Dr. Osterholm said.

President Donald J. Trump issued his archetypal question restrictions related to the microorganism successful January 2020, 1 time aft the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a planetary wellness emergency. Mr. Trump repeatedly claimed that those measures impeded the virus’s dispersed successful the United States. But a New York Times investigation of formation data recovered that astatine slightest 430,000 radical had arrived successful the United States connected nonstop flights from China by April 2020, including astir 40,000 successful the 2 months aft Mr. Trump imposed the restrictions.