According to a study, the new Covid-19 variant found in the UK is growing rapidly, is more transmissible than other variants and affects a larger proportion of people under the age of 20.
The research is a collaborative effort of scientists and researchers from 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.
As of Dec. 30, at least 27 countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan have so far reported cases of the new strain, CNN reports.
“There is a consensus among all the analyzes that the VOC [the Variant of Concern or new variant] has a substantial transmission advantage, “the study said. He added that the difference between the number of reproduction of the mutation, compared to other variants of the virus, is 0.4 to 0.7 higher. reproduction 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 have informed the UK government’s planning in recent weeks, show that the new variant of concern, B.1.1.7, has a substantially higher transmissibility than the old circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses. in the UK, “said Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London.
The study also said that while people under the age of 20 account for a higher proportion of cases of the new variant of the virus, it is too early to determine why.
Because the new variant is more easily transmitted, control will be more difficult, said Ferguson, who stressed the “urgency of deploying 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 forces us to re-evaluate public health policy,” noting that experts had found “Overwhelming evidence of a change in the transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant that should be taken into account when planning our Covid-19 response for the new year.”
On Monday, the UK will roll out the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, which was authorized for use on Wednesday.