The telegraph
Latest policy news: “Some evidence” Kent Covid’s deadliest variant, says PM
Boris Johnson will give a press conference at 5 pm – watch it live Ministers consider paying £ 500 for positive Covid test Boris Johnson suggests that the blockade could last until summer Fraser Nelson: Vaccines could inaugurate Fortress Britain Coronavirus Latest news: R-rate falls below 1 in the UK Sign up for The Telegraph for a month-free trial There is “some evidence” that the new coronavirus variant discovered in Kent is more deadly than the original, said Boris Johnson. The prime minister said the latest scientific evidence shows that the new variant poses a greater risk of death. “It is largely the impact of this new variant that means that the NHS is under such intense pressure,” he said. Professor Neil Ferguson, who is part of Nervtag, the government’s virus advisory committee, said the latest data showed that 13 out of 1000 people aged 60 who contract the variant may die, compared with 10 out of 1000 who caught original variant. “It is a realistic possibility that the new UK variant increases the risk of death, but there is still considerable uncertainty,” Professor Ferguson told ITV. “Four groups – Imperial, LSHTM, PHE and Exeter – examined the relationship between people who tested positive for the variant versus old strains and the risk of death.” The professor said that the available data on the new variant are irregular, but there is a “sign” that there is a “risk of death 1.3 times greater”. The new variant, which has now been reported across the UK and several other countries, is also more transmissible. Follow the latest updates below.