British government science advisers have said that the COVID-19 variant currently prevalent in Israel could be up to 70 percent more lethal than previous variants, and it highlights concerns about how mutations could alter the characteristics of the disease.
The findings of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, published on the government’s website on Friday, build on preliminary research released on January 21. The group includes experts from universities and public agencies across the UK.
The new report is based on analysis of a dozen studies that found that the so-called Kent variant, named after the country where it was first identified, is probably 30 to 70% more lethal than other variants. The studies compared hospitalization and mortality rates among people infected with the variant and those infected with other variants.
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The results of the analysis are worrying, says Dr David Strain, a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School and the clinical clue for COVID at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
A healthcare worker takes samples on January 28, 2021 at a coronavirus testing station in Jerusalem. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
“The higher transmissibility means that people who previously had a low risk of catching COVID (especially younger fitter females) now catch it and end up in the hospital,” Strain said.
“This is emphasized by the latest figures for hospitalization which now point to almost 50:50 man-to-woman ratio compared to the fact that it was mainly in men during the first wave,” he added.
The British variant is the predominant tribe in Israel. Its prevalence in severe cases among younger people and pregnant women coincided with an increase.