One of the COVID-19 variants that originated abroad can be significantly more dangerous than the original strain, a new report published in the British Medical Journal proposes.
The British strain, called B.1.1.7, has increased rapidly under new COVID-19 infections in the United Kingdom and is currently present in other countries, including the USA.
To better understand the mortality rate of the British variant, a team of scientists used genomic sequencing within 54,906 linked volunteers who tested positive for COVID-19 between early October 2020 and late January 2021 in a similar cohort study.
The purpose of the corresponding cohort study is to measure a response between an individual exposed to B.1.1.7 versus an individual exposed to an earlier strain.
Patients were followed up for 28 days to observe the outcome of the viral infection.
Results showed that among the patients infected with B.1.1.7, 227 died within 28 days after a positive COVID-19 test. In the opposing group, which was not diagnosed with the British variant, 141 died.
This resulted in a higher risk ratio, or an increased risk of death, for patients with the UK COVID-19 variant. Statistically, it has a fairly large margin of error, which falls between an increase of 32 percent and an increase of 104 percent in risk.
Finally, the risk percentage averages about 64 percent.
‘The variety of concerns, in addition to being more communicable, also seems more deadly. We expect this to be accompanied by changes in its phenotypic traits due to multiple genetic mutations, ‘the report reads,’ and we see no reason why this finding should be specific to the UK. ‘
Researchers further note that this increased risk of mortality may not be limited to the British variant, and say that other mutations in South Africa and Brazil underline COVID-19’s potential to develop faster than humans can account for.
The absolute risk of death remains relatively low, even with the new COVID-19 strain.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 3,283 confirmed cases of B.1.1.7 in the USA, across 49 jurisdictions.
A silver lining may arise as these new variants circulate as COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available.
The question of whether vaccines fought against an older strain of the virus will still fight a mutation has yet to be definitively answered, with some pharmaceutical commands. reports that Pfizer vaccines will work against new variants, while others say that vaccines “much less“Effective.