The question of the danger of the new variants of the coronavirus has been on the minds of experts for several months.
Lthe results of a new study on the British variant of the coronavirus indicate that it is more lethal than other forms of the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which is responsible for Covid-19 disease. The data published on Wednesday in the general practice journal British Medical Journal (BMJ) is 32% to 104% higher after infection with the British variant.
The scientists compared on the one hand the number of deaths recorded among nearly 55,000 people infected with the British variant, and on the other hand it recorded in a similar sample patients infected with an older form of the virus. In the British variant group, 227 people died of the disease 28 days after testing positive. In the other group, the number of deaths for the same period was 141.
The question of the danger of the new variants of the coronavirus has been on the minds of experts for several months. Some tests – but not all – indicate an increased risk of mortality due to these mutant viruses. If the results of this new study point in the direction of an additional risk, other research such as that of the British University of Exeter indicates that the vast majority of those infected survive the variant.
The study published on Wednesday notes that 4.1 deaths out of 1000 infections are with the British variant, compared to 2.5 deaths per 1000 in other older variants.