Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday that new data suggests that the COVID-19 strain that first emerged in the UK may be more deadly.
“We need to assume now that what is circulating in the UK has an increase in virulence, which means that the power of the virus can cause more damage, including death,” Fauci told CBS anchor Margaret Brennan in “Face the Nation”.
Fauci said British officials initially indicated that the new variant was no longer lethal, but have now reversed the course after a study that suggested it was about 30% more deadly in older adults.
The average death rate among people aged 60 in the UK was around 10 per 10,000.
But with the new strain, there were about 13 or 14 deaths in the same population, USA Today reported.
“We want to analyze the data ourselves, but we have every reason to believe it. They are a very competent group, ”said Fauci.
The UK strain has been confirmed in at least 22 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fauci said the available COVID-19 vaccines still appear to be effective against the variant, although he admits that there may be a “very small decrease” in protection.
“The cushion you have of effectiveness is so big that it will not have a negative impact,” said Fauci.
But he said it was “a little more worrisome” when it comes to another new strain that was first detected in South Africa – which appears to be more resistant to the vaccine.
“It seems that the vaccine’s effectiveness decreases even more, but we are still within that level of damping of the vaccines being advantageous against these mutants,” said Fauci.
“Having said that, we will look and follow very carefully as these things evolve. What we are going to do and are doing is preparing for the possibility that … in the future, we may need to modify and update vaccines, ”he added.