The new variant Covid-19 found for the first time in the UK is growing rapidly, is more transmissible than other variants and affecting a greater proportion of people under the age of 20, according to a study.
The research is a collaborative effort by scientists and researchers at Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh, Public Health England, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Birmingham and the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium.
On December 30, at least 27 countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan, reported cases of the new strain so far, according to a CNN report.
“There is a consensus among all the analyzes that VOC [the Variant of Concern or new variant] has a substantial transmission advantage, ”said the study. He added that the difference between the number of reproductions of the mutation, in comparison with other variants of the virus, is 0.4 to 0.7 greater. The reproduction number reflects the number of individuals to whom an infected person transmits the virus.
According to the study, the reproduction number of the new variant is currently between 1.4 and 1.8.
“These analyzes, which informed the UK government’s planning in recent weeks, show that the new variant of concern, B.1.1.7, has substantially greater transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the United Kingdom ”, Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London said.
The study also said that while people under the age of 20 account for a larger proportion of cases of the new variant of the virus, it is too early to determine why.
Since the new variant is more easily transmissible, controlling it will be more difficult, said Ferguson, who emphasized the “urgency to get vaccination as soon as possible.”
Dr. Erik Volz of Imperial College said that “all viruses evolve, and very rarely will a virus change in a way that requires a reassessment of public health policy”, noting that experts have found “overwhelming evidence of a change in the transmissibility of the Variant B.1.1.7 that must be taken into account when planning our Covid-19 response in the new year. ”
On Monday, the UK will launch the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which was authorized for use on Wednesday.