While the US seems to be heading in the right direction on infection rates — with 42 states reporting downward trends – that progress could be erased if variants take hold, emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Preventing that will mean extra vigilance. “If there is something more contagious among us, if we thought that going to the grocery store before was relatively safe, there’s actually a higher likelihood of contracting coronavirus through those every day activities,” she said.