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The latest figures also suggest that women are increasingly at risk for the original strain of the first wave coronavirus.
The highly infectious variant of the novel coronavirus that predominates in the UK could be up to 70% more deadly than previous strains, according to a report by government science advisers.
The findings of the Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats (NERVTAG), published on the government’s website on Friday, highlighted concerns about how mutations may change the characteristics of SARS-CoV2 – the virus that cause COVID-19 – and change the course of the pandemic.
The NERVTAG report was based on a dozen studies that found the so-called Kent variant, named after the county where it was first identified, is likely 30 to 70 percent more deadly than others versions of the novel coronavirus in circulation.
These studies compared rates of hospitalization and death in people infected with variant B.1.1.7 and those infected with other strains.
NERVTAG includes experts from universities and public agencies across the UK.
The results of the group’s analysis are worrying, said David Strain, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Exeter School of Medicine and COVID-19 clinical manager at Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.
“The higher transmissibility means that people who were previously at low risk of catching COVID (especially fit younger women) are now catching it and ending up in the hospital,” Strain said.
“This is evidenced by the latest hospitalization figures which now suggest a male to female ratio of nearly 50:50 compared to that of men in the first wave.”
The UK has recorded over four million cases of COVID-19 to date. The virus has killed more than 117,000 people across the country, marking one of the world’s worst deaths.
B.1.1.7 fans to the outside
Experts previously said that the B.1.1.7 strain could be between 30 and 70% more infectious than the other variants.
After being detected for the first time in September, it quickly became the dominant variant in the UK.
It is believed to have been behind a rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country in recent months, pushing up the death toll and forcing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to impose a third lockdown national on January 4.
The variant has spread to other parts of the world as well, and quickly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 83 countries have reported cases of the strain. It has been detected on all continents of Earth except Antarctica.
Research suggests that the two COVID-19 vaccines used in the UK – developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and AstraZeneca – offer some protection against B.1.1.7.
But the spread of the variant has nonetheless added to fears about emerging mutations in the novel coronavirus.
The concern was exacerbated by two other highly infectious strains in circulation – the so-called Brazilian and South African variants, known to scientists as 20I / 501Y.V2 or B.1.351 and P.1 respectively.
These variants have the E484K mutation, which occurs on the virus spike protein. The mutation is thought to help the virus escape antibodies and get past the body’s immune defenses. Scientists have warned that this could weaken the effectiveness of vaccines.
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