The most recent data also suggest that women are increasingly at risk, compared to the original first wave coronavirus strain.
The highly infectious variant of the new coronavirus that is prevalent in the UK can be up to 70 percent more deadly than previous strains, according to a report by government scientific consultants.
The findings of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group (NERVTAG), published on Friday on the government website, highlighted concerns about how mutations could alter the characteristics of SARS-CoV2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – and change the course of the pandemic.
The NERVTAG report was based on 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 versions of the new circulating coronavirus.
These studies compared hospitalization and mortality rates between people infected with variant B.1.1.7 and those infected with other strains.
NERVTAG includes experts from universities and public agencies across the UK.
The results of the group’s analysis are worrying, said David Strain, senior clinical professor at the University of Exeter Medical School and clinical leader at COVID-19 at Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
“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 men to women of almost 50:50, compared to the predominance of men during the first wave. ″
To date, the UK has registered more than four million cases of COVID-19. The virus killed more than 117,000 people across the country, marking one of the worst deaths in the world.
B.1.1.7 fans out
Experts previously said that strain B.1.1.7 may be between 30 and 70 percent more infectious than other variants.
After first being detected in September, it quickly became the dominant variant in the UK.
It is believed to have been the spark for a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country in recent months, increasing the death toll and forcing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to impose a third national blockade on January 4th.
The variant also spread to other parts of the world, and quickly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 83 countries have reported cases of the strain. It has been detected on all continents on Earth, except Antarctica.
The research suggests that the two COVID-19 vaccines in use in the UK – developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and AstraZeneca – offer some protection against B.1.1.7.
Even so, the spread of the variant has raised fears about emerging mutations of the new coronavirus.
Concern has increased with two other highly infectious strains in circulation – the so-called Brazilian and South African variants, known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B.1.351 and P.1, respectively.
These variants have the E484K mutation, which occurs in the virus’s spike protein. The mutation is believed to help the virus escape the antibodies and pass through the body’s immune defenses. Scientists have warned that this could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines.