UK government scientific consultants said the COVID-19 variant now prevalent in Israel could be up to 70 percent more deadly than previous variants, highlighting concerns about how the mutations may alter the characteristics of the disease.
The findings of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group, published on Friday on the government website, are based on preliminary research released on January 21. The group includes experts from universities and public bodies across the UK.
The new report is based on the analysis of a dozen studies that found that the so-called Kent variant, named after the county where it was first identified, is probably 30% to 70% more deadly than other variants. The studies compared hospitalization and mortality rates between people infected with the variant and those infected with other variants.
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The results of the analysis are worrying, said Dr. David Strain, senior clinical professor at the University of Exeter Medical School and clinical head of COVID at Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
A health worker collects samples at a coronavirus test station in Jerusalem on January 28, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
“Greater transmissibility means that people who were previously at low risk of contracting COVID (particularly younger, fit women) are now picking up and ending up in the hospital,” said Strain.
“This is highlighted by the latest hospitalization figures, which now suggest a ratio of almost 50:50 men to women, compared to the predominance of men during the first wave,” he added.
The British variant is the predominant strain in Israel. Its spread coincided with an increase in serious cases among young people and pregnant women.