Researchers found out that the more infectious COVID-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom is between 30 to 100 percent deadlier than the dominant COVID-19 variants.

The study compared death rates among people in Britain infected with the new SARS-CoV-2 variant – known as B.1.1.7 – against those infected with other variants. Scientists said the new variant’s mortality rate was “significantly higher”.

The B.1.1.7 variant was first detected in Britain in September 2020 and has spread to over 100 countries in the world.

The UK variant has 23 mutations, and some of them can spread easily. The variant is about 40 percent to 70 percent more transmissible than previous dominant variants that were circulating.

The study published in the British Medical Journal also showed that the infection with the new variant led to 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 COVID-19 patients, compared with 141 among the same number of patients infected with other variants.

Other studies also showed that people infected with the UK variant will have a higher risk of dying from the disease. (TDT)

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