UK variant of coronavirus linked to significantly higher death rate
The highly infectious variant of COVID-19 which swept across the UK last year before spreading worldwide could be 30 to 100 percent deadlier than previous versions of the virus, according to a new study. In the study, epidemiologists from the Universities of Exeter and Bristol in the UK, compared death rates among people infected with the new variant and those infected with other strains.
The research was published in the British Medical Journal
The research, published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, noted that this variant, B.1.1.7, is linked to a significantly higher mortality rate amongst adults diagnosed in the community compared to previously circulating strains.
Sampling was done to understand the difference
Epidemiologists found that the new variant led to 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 patients compared to 141 amongst the same number of closely matched patients who had the previous strains. "In the community, death from COVID-19 is still a rare event, but the B.1.1.7 variant raises the risk," said Robert Challen, lead author of the study from the University of Exeter.
New variant significantly quicker and easier to spread
"Coupled with its ability to spread rapidly this makes B.1.1.7 a threat that should be taken seriously," Challen said. Since this variant was first detected in the UK in September 2020, it has been proven to be significantly quicker and easier to spread, with more people, who would have previously been considered low risk, hospitalized because of it.
Important to monitor new variants
Due to the ability of the coronavirus to mutate, senior author of the study, Leon Danon believes there is a real concern that new variants may 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," Danon added.
