Coronavirus: new variant found in Britain might be more deadly than original, says Boris Johnson
- The mutant variant may be 30 per cent more deadly than the original strain – or more, a UK government analysis found
- The warning comes as Britain grapples with the highest death toll in Europe and battles to recover from its deepest recession in more than 300 years
Speaking at a news conference Friday in London, the premier said new evidence had led the government to revise its initial view that the variant was more contagious but not more dangerous. It may be 30 per cent more deadly than the original strain – or more, a government analysis found.
“In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant – the variant that was first identified in London and the South East – may be associated with a higher degree of mortality,” Johnson said from 10 Downing Street, flanked by his top medical advisers.
The government said that on average, for 1,000 men in their 60s, 13 to 14 would die if they contracted the new variant, compared to 10 for the initial strain.
The premier’s warning comes as Britain grapples with the highest death toll in Europe and battles to recover from the economic wreckage of its deepest recession in more than 300 years.
There was a glimmer of light for the UK in government data on Friday suggesting that the second wave of the pandemic had passed its peak.
But Johnson and his scientific advisers were clear that the rates of hospitalisation, deaths and infections remain far too high and will not allow the restrictions that have closed businesses to be lifted any time soon.
