LONDON – UK officials warned Friday that a coronavirus variant first identified in the UK could be more deadly and more transmissible than previous versions of the pathogen.
The conclusions of scientists advising the UK government are still highly uncertain. But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a televised address that the variant – which has caused Covid-19 infections in the UK to rise sharply and spread rapidly in the US – could lead to higher death rates.
US federal health authorities have said it will likely become the dominant variety in the US in March.
“We learned today that, in addition to a faster spread, it now also appears that there is some evidence that the new variant – the variant first identified in London and the Southeast – may be associated with higher mortality rates,” Mr. Johnson said.
The preliminary conclusions come as UK hospitals are processing more Covid-19 patients than ever during the pandemic. The death toll from Covid-19 in the UK is expected to exceed 100,000 in the coming week.
The development increases the importance of effective vaccine roll-out, which is further ahead in the UK than elsewhere in Europe. Nearly 5.4 million people had received at least one injection of a vaccine in the UK on Thursday.
The government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, warned that the death rate data associated with the variant was still highly uncertain.
The death toll from Covid-19 in the UK is expected to exceed 100,000 in the coming week. This week a vaccination center in London.
Photo:
neil hall / Shutterstock
In-hospital Covid cases did not appear to be an increase in mortality. But among the population in general, deaths were higher among those who had the new variant, he said. Of the 1,000 60-year-olds with the new variant, about 13 to 14 were expected to die, according to Mr. Vallance, compared to about 10 deaths per 1,000 with the old variant.
Mr. Vallance said vaccines seem to neutralize the new variant so far, which government scientists estimate to spread 30% to 70% faster than previous versions.
Until now, British scientists had said there was no evidence that the variant discovered in late 2020 caused more serious illness or death, only that it spread faster than the previous version.
Officials said on Friday that the new variant did not appear to evade the impact of vaccines, even if it increased mortality.
As new variants of coronavirus fly around the world, scientists are rushing to understand how dangerous they can be. WSJ explains. Illustration: Alex Kuzoian / WSJ
Write to Max Colchester at [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8