British scientists say variant of British coronavirus is ‘probably’ deadlier

Studies show the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK is “likely” more deadly than the original strain, UK government scientists said in an assessment released Friday.

Why is this important: The most contagious B.1.1.7 variant has been found in 82 countries, including the United States, according to the New York Times.

• Cases of the new variant could double in the United States almost every 10 days and could become the dominant version of the virus in the country by March, according to a study released by MedRxiv this week.

Details: In the new assessment, British scientists estimate that the variant could be 30% to 70% more deadly than the original strain.

• But they added that they would need more data on deaths in more in-depth studies before they can definitively conclude that the variant is more lethal.
• The new development comes about two months after the UK government warned that the B.1.1.7 variant was more transmissible than other forms of the virus.

The big picture: Moderna and Pfizer have both found their vaccines to be effective against the British variant and another variant first discovered in South Africa.

Go further: New coronavirus variants could lead to longer, deadlier pandemic