British coronavirus variant appears to be deadlier, study finds, but more research is needed

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A sample of people in the UK infected with the variant appeared to be between 32% and 104% – so around 64% – more likely to die than those infected with the previously circulating variants, according to the study published in the Medical Journal of the BMJ Wednesday.
The variant was originally found to be more easily transmitted, and the new data supports claims by UK officials, based on preliminary data, that the variant may also be deadlier.

Researchers, from various institutions in the UK, analyzed data from more than 100,000 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 between October and January, and were followed until mid-February.

The researchers took a close look at the tests that detected the variant compared to those of previously circulating variants.

The study showed that the new variant was associated with 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 patients – compared to 141 deaths among the same number of patients infected with previous strains.

“In the community, death from COVID-19 is still a rare event, but the B.1.1.7 variant increases the risk. Coupled with its ability to spread rapidly, this makes B.1.1.7 a threat that must be taken seriously, “Robert Challen, lead author of the study from the University of Exeter in the UK, said Wednesday in a press release.
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More research is needed to determine what exactly happens during infection with variant B.1.1.7 which may lead to increased risk of death, Dr Amesh Adalja, principal investigator at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security , CNN told CNN on Wednesday. In the study, the greatest risk of death associated with the variant appears around two weeks during a patient’s Covid-19 illness.

“There is a clear separation that occurs two weeks later – so I would like to understand better what the authors think this could be caused,” said Adalja, who was not involved in the new study.

“Could it be that they get bacterial infections, because they stay longer in the hospital? Are they more likely to have blood clots? What complication is causing this? delay in death? ” Said Adalja. “This is what I thought was the most interesting.”

The new study adds to our understanding of the B.1.1.7 variant, which is fueling a recent outbreak of infections across Europe, Lawrence Young, virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick in the UK , who was not involved. in the new study, said in a statement released Wednesday by the Science Media Center.

“This study confirms previous work showing that infection with the B.1.1.7 virus variant is associated with an increased risk of death,” Young said in part. “The precise mechanisms responsible for the increased mortality associated with the variant remain unclear, but could be linked to higher levels of virus replication as well as increased transmissibility.”

Dr Julian Tang, honorary associate professor and clinical virologist at the University of Leicester, said in a statement that he was “still not very convinced by these results” of the study.

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Colder winter temperatures can exacerbate underlying conditions – such as chronic heart, lung, kidney and neurological disease – which could predispose people to more severe Covid-19 or even death, Tang said in a report. press release disseminated by the Science Media Center. .

“We really need to revisit that in the spring to take into account the cold weather factor,” as well as other seasonal variables, he said in part.

Further research is also needed to determine if similar results would emerge in more patients from other parts of the world.

The variant is spreading in the United States, for example, and health officials warn that it “could become dominant” in the country.

“The worrying variant, in addition to being more transmissible, appears to be more deadly,” the researchers wrote in their study. “We expect this to be associated with changes in its phenotypic properties due to multiple genetic mutations, and we see no reason why this finding would be specific to the UK.

As the B.1.1.7 variant continues to spread in the United States, Adalja said the nation should closely examine the possibility of an increased risk of death.

“If we take this to be true – that this variant is more deadly, besides being more contagious – it highlights the need to get the vaccine into people’s arms faster, because we know our vaccines are stable and robust. against this variant, “Adalja said.” The better we administer the vaccine to people, the less of a problem this variant will be. “

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