British chief scientist Patrick Vallance says the new COVID-19 variant could be more lethal, more research needed

There is evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in the south-east of England carries a greater risk of death than the original strain, the British chief scientific adviser said on Friday – although he stressed that the data were uncertain. .

Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.”

He said an average risk for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus is that about 1,000 people who become infected will die unhappily. ‘

“With the new variant, it can be expected that about 1,000 or 14 people will die for 1,000 people who are infected,” he said.

VIDEO: Dr. Fauci on COVID-19 variants around the world

But Vallance stressed that “the evidence is not yet strong” and that more research is needed.

Contrary to the uncertainty, he said, confidence is growing that the variant is more easily transmitted than the original coronavirus strain. He said it appears to be between 30% and 70% more transferable.

Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead on COVID-19, said studies were underway to investigate the transmission and severity of new virus variants.

She has so far said “they have not yet seen an increase in severity”, but that more transmission could lead to an overloaded healthcare system and thus more deaths.

British officials say they are confident that the vaccines granted to use COVID-19 will be effective against the new strain identified in the country.

But Vallance said scientists are concerned that variants identified in Brazil and South Africa may be more resistant to vaccines, adding that more research needs to be done.

Concerns about newly identified variants have caused a spate of new travel restrictions around the world. Many countries closed their borders to travelers from Britain, and the United Kingdom stopped flights from Brazil and South Africa.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there could be further restrictions.

“We may have to go further to protect our borders,” he said.

Britain recorded 95,981 deaths among people who tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest confirmed total in Europe.

The UK is currently in a trap in an attempt to delay the latest outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak. Bars, restaurants, hangouts and many shops are closed, and people are expected to stay largely at home.

The number of new infections has begun to decline, but deaths remain alarmingly high, averaging more than 1,000 a day, and the number of patients admitted to hospital is 80% higher than at the first peak of the spring pandemic.

Johnson, who is often accused of making overly optimistic predictions about the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, sounded gloomy.

“We will have to live with coronavirus somehow for a long time to come,” he said, adding that “it is an open question” when measures can be facilitated.

“At this point, you really have to be very, very careful,” he said.

Vallance agreed,

“I do not think this virus is going anywhere,” he said. “It will probably last forever.”

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AP Medical writer Maria Cheng contributed to this story.