Context: The so-called ‘UK variant’ of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which was discovered in Kent and swept across the UK last year before spreading worldwide, is between 30% and 100% more deadly than previous strains.

Details:

• Epidemiologists from the Universities of Exeter and Bristol compared death rates among people infected with the new variant and those infected with other strains.
• They found that the new variant, B.1.1.7, led to 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 patients – compared to 141 among the same number of closely matched patients who had the previous strains.
• SARS-CoV-2 appears able to mutate quickly, and there is a real concern that other variants will arise with resistance to rapidly rolled out vaccines.
• Monitoring for new variants as they arise, measuring their characteristics and acting appropriately needs to be a key part of the public health response in the future.
• According to the World Health Organization, the new variant has been already detected in over 100 countries.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-analysis-finds-uk-variant-30-100-per-cent-more-lethal-than-previous-covid-strains-7224452/

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