Scientists have recently found out that the UK variant B 1.1.7 of the Coronavirus not only has a faster transmission rate, but is also likely more deadly. This is after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has declared that the B 1.1.7 variant originated from the UK last fall has already been widely-spread in other areas and countries. Although these findings are still in the preliminary stage, scientists are worried that it is likely the case.
According to Gizmodo, the data was acquired from the UK's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group otherwise known as NERVTAG. It is a group of scientists that has worked their way through helping curb the pandemic.
UK Variant Not Only More Transmissible but Also More Deadly
As BBC News reports, it was only last December that they made conclusions of the UK variant being more transmissible as compared to previous strains of the virus. They did not initially find out that the variant was more deadly or harmful. However, things have changed recently with the last data analysis reports.
The independent research group has released in their new paper last friday that there is a surge of people dying from the UK variant as compared to people that have been infected with other strains of the virus. Furthermore, they added that the UK variant is 30% more deadly than other strains. For many experts, this is worrying since 30% is not something that we should take lightly.
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Jason Kindrachuk, a virologist at the University of Manitoba in Canada said in an interview via Gizmodo his sentiments about the new findings. "This is of course quite concerning, given the speed at which this variant has overtaken circulating strains across different regions and our inability to control general transmission in many parts of the world."
Limitations to the UK variant B 1.1.7 Study
However, the findings are still in the preliminary phase, since more studies need to be conducted to confirm the results. The authors of the study emphasized that there are indeed some limitations to their study. The data has been acquired only from a small portion amongst the total cases and deaths in the country at a specific point in time. Moreover, some of the data takes longer to collect than others. This is why the data released when patients are diagnosed with the B.1.1.7 doesn't exactly say that the UK variant is deadlier.
More research and work needs to be done in order to confirm the findings of this study. Nonetheless, experts advise to be more cautious and to exercise safety measures at all times since the new variant can be far more precarious as compared to previous strains of the virus.
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Written by Nikki D
