Mutated COVID-19 Strain To Cause More Deaths In Britain, Says Study

London: Urging a fast rollout of vaccine to prevent deaths, the scientists have warned in a study that the mutated strain of coronavirus is 56 per cent more contagious than the original one.

The variant that emerged in southeast England in November is spreading fast and is likely to scale up hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 in 2021, stated the study published by the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, according to news agency AFP.

Focussing on the English south east, east and London, Researchers said that it remains uncertain whether the mutated strain was more or less deadly than its predecessors.

“Nevertheless, the increase in transmissibility is likely to lead to a large increase in incidence, with Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths projected to reach higher levels in 2021 than were observed in 2020, even if regional tiered restrictions implemented before December 19 are maintained,” the researchers were quoted as saying by AFP.

According to the authors, the national lockdown imposed in England in November was unlikely to prevent an increase in infections “unless primary schools, secondary schools, and universities are also closed”.

“It may be necessary to greatly accelerate vaccine roll-out to have an appreciable impact in suppressing the resulting disease burden,” researchers said.