Up Front ... I apologize for the length of this post. It is an INFOPOST so I will do my best to link all sauce. I will re-post this again as I get new information from you guys or stuff I find on my own.

Also, and I apologize for the bad form, but ... the CDC website is about as convoluted an amalgam of liquid shit I have seen from a Government agency. They don't explain anything. I'm not suggesting it is intentional ... I'm just saying it sucks FOR REAL. It looks like it is a Narrative Support Tool that points STRAIGHT TO the bullshit they want the media to print.

Variants and Genomic Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2

BLUF:

1. The CDC DOES NOT test each individual sample for variants. What they do is they take SAMPLES (750 per week for sure, and an undisclosed amount from other sources - up to 20,000 they claim, but don't disclose actual numbers). They use those samples to look for molecular nucleotides (markers) to identify samples with suspected Variants.
2. They take those results and use a STATISTICAL MODEL called NOWCAST to ESTIMATE the proportion of likely Variant cases. I cannot find (yet) the construct or methodology for the model. I was the steward for forecast models for the Army. I am FAMILIAR with the math and science of weighted modeling.

In plain English, they have no clue about the actual 'Variant' numbers. They have a 'best guess' based on past 'knows' of variables. You will NEVER hear a VARIANT number stated ... everything about the VARIANTS will be as a % of Cases. What the fags in the media don't tell you is that is nothing more than a secret best guess.

Here are a few EXCERPTS from the CDC website on Variant surveillance:

The median time from specimen collection to sequence data reporting is about 3 weeks. As a result, weighted estimates for the most recent few weeks may be unstable or unavailable. CDC’s Nowcast is a data projection tool that helps fill this gap by generating timely estimates of variant proportions for variants that are circulating in the United States.

CDC is contracting with large commercial diagnostic labs to sequence samples across the United States. CDC has commitments from these laboratories to sequence 20,000 samples per week, with the capacity to scale up in response to the nation’s needs.
*** On a separate link in the site they claim 6000 samples instead of 20000

Since November 2020, CDC regularly receives SARS-CoV-2 samples from state health departments and other public health agencies for sequencing, further characterization, and evaluation. On January 25, 2021, the NS3 system was scaled-up to process 750 samples per week. Notable strengths of this system are the regular collection of numerous representative specimens from across the country and characterization of viruses beyond what sequencing alone can provide.