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Dr Anthony Fauci warned on Sunday that new data suggests the strain of COVID-19 that first appeared in the UK may be deadlier.
“We have to assume now that what is circulating in the UK has an increase in virulence, which means the virus has the power to cause more damage, including death,” Fauci CBS host Margaret Brennan told “Face the Nation”.
Fauci said UK officials initially said the new variant was no more deadly, but have now turned the tide following a study suggesting it is around 30% more deadly in older people.
The average death rate among 60-year-olds in the UK was around 10 per 10,000.
But with the new strain, there had been around 13 or 14 deaths in the same population, USA Today reported.
“We want to examine the data ourselves, but we have every reason to believe it. It’s a very capable group, ”Fauci said.
The British strain has been confirmed in at least 22 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fauci said the available COVID-19 vaccines still appear to be effective against the variant, although he admits there may be a “very minor decrease” in protection.
“The efficiency cushion that you have is so big that it’s not going to have a negative impact,” Fauci said.
But he said it was “a little more worrying” when it came to another new strain that was first detected in South Africa – which appears to be more resistant to the vaccine.
“It appears that this further decreases the effectiveness of the vaccine, but we are still in this cushion level of vaccines being beneficial against these mutants,” Fauci said.
“Having said that, we’re going to take a look at this and follow this very carefully because these things are evolving. What we are going to do and what we are doing is preparing for the possibility that… eventually, we may need to modify and improve the vaccines, ”he added.
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