LONDON (Reuters) – A highly contagious variant of COVID-19 that has spread around the world since it was first discovered in Britain late last year is between 30% and 100% more deadly than previous species, researchers said Wednesday.
In a study comparing death rates among people in Britain infected with the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, known as B.1.1.7, with those infected with other strains, scientists said the new variant had a “significantly higher” mortality.
The B.1.1.7 variant was first discovered in Great Britain in September 2020 and has since been found in more than 100 countries.
It has 23 mutations in its genetic code – a relatively high number of changes – and some of these have made it much easier to spread. British scientists say it is about 40% -70% more transmissible than previously dominant circulating coronavirus variants.
In the British study, published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal, infection with the new variant resulted in 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 COVID-19 patients, compared to 141 in the same number of patients infected with other variants.
“This, coupled with its ability to spread quickly, makes B.1.1.7 a threat that should be taken seriously,” said Robert Challen, a researcher at the University of Exeter who co-led the study.
Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Pravin Char