A patient is taken to an ambulance in front of London’s Royal London Hospital during England’s third national closure to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Image Date: Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
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According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, the highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the UK is associated with a 64% higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than previous strains.
Researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol analyzed data from more than 100,000 patients in the UK between 1 October and 28 January. They compared mortality rates between people infected with B.1.1.7, the variant first found in the UK, and those infected with other previously circulating strains.
The researchers, who released their findings Wednesday, said people infected with B.1.1.7 were between 32% and 104% more likely to die. This translates into a central estimate of 64%, they said, adding that “the absolute risk of death in this largely unvaccinated population remains low.”
“In the community, death from COVID-19 remains a rare occurrence, but variant B.1.1.7 increases the risk. Along with its ability to spread rapidly, this makes B.1.1.7 a threat that it should be taken seriously, “Robert Challen, the study’s lead author in Exeter, said in a press release.
The researchers said B.1.1.7 caused 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 patients. This compares with 141 deaths in almost the same number of patients who were infected with other strains.
They said that, with the variant already detected in more than 50 countries around the world, “the analysis provides crucial information to governments and health officials to help prevent its spread.”
The UK identified B.1.1.7, which appears to be spreading more easily and rapidly than other strains, in the autumn of 2020. It has since spread to other parts of the world, including the US, which have identified 3,283 cases as of Tuesday, at disease control and prevention centers. U.S. health officials say they are working to identify more cases.
The new study comes about two months after a CDC study warned that B.1.1.7 could become the dominant strain in the United States. The director of CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky told JAMA on February 17 that variant B.1.1.7 is believed to be about 50% more transmissible and that early data indicate it may be up to 50% more virulent or deadly.
The new variants are of particular concern to public health officials, as they could be more resistant to antibody treatments and vaccines. Top health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, urges Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible, saying the virus cannot mutate if it cannot infect guests and reproduce.