A traveler wearing a face mask is seen at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Feb. 2, 2021. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Researchers predicted that within a month, the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK could become predominant in the United States, potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8  -- The coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom is spreading rapidly across the United States, new research suggests, adding concern to resurgence of the pandemic in the country.

Analyzing half a million coronavirus tests and hundreds of genomes, researchers predicted that within a month, this variant, known as B.1.1.7, could become predominant in the United States, potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death.

The study, posted on the preprint server MedRxiv on Sunday, echoed a forecast issued last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which warned that B.1.1.7 could become predominant by March if it behaved the way it did in Britain.

According to the study, detection of the variant increased at a logistic rate similar to those observed elsewhere, with a doubling rate of a little over a week and an increased transmission rate of 35 to 45 percent.