British coronavirus variant could be more deadly than the original strain, possibly by up to 70 per cent, scientists say

British coronavirus variant could be more deadly than the original strain, possibly by up to 70 per cent, scientists say

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  • A coronavirus variant which has its origin in the United Kingdom is known to be more transferable.
  • Now scientists say that the B.1.1.7 variant is probably more deadly than the original strain.
  • The variant spreads across the US and to at least 82 other countries.

The coronavirus variant that originated in the UK is probably more deadly than the original strain, according to a new assessment released by British scientists on Friday.

In the report, which evaluated several studies, the scientists estimated that the strain, known as B.1.1.7, could be 30 to 70% more deadly than the original virus.

Studies have already shown that the British tension is more transferable and Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that it could also ‘be associated with a higher rate of deaths’.
Read more: What comes next for COVID-19 vaccines? Here’s the latest on 11 leading programs.

The assessment confirms the concern, but the scientists also said more extensive studies on deaths should be done.

Meanwhile, the more contagious variant has spread throughout the world and the US. According to The New York Times, it has been detected in at least 82 states. In a study published earlier this month, the British variant was found to spread so rapidly across the US that the number of cases of the strain doubled approximately every ten days.

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“These findings show that B.1.1.7 is likely to become the dominant variant in many U.S. states by March 2021, leading to further increases of COVID-19 in the country, unless urgent mitigation efforts are implemented immediately, ‘the newspaper said.

The study also said that the British variant is 35% to 45% more transmissible than other strains distributed in the US. Scientists have also expressed concern that the variant could develop a mutation that could help it evade vaccines. It is not yet clear why the British variant may have a higher mortality rate. Scientists said one possible reason is that people who become infected with it may have a higher virus load or more of the virus in their bodies, which has been linked to worse COVID-19, reports Insider.

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