Covid-19: the English variant is more deadly, warns Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his press briefing at 10 Downing Street on January 22, 2021. AP - Leon Neal
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2 min
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that the variant of Covid-19 identified in the United Kingdom is not only more contagious but also up to 50% more deadly.
The country has recorded 1,401 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
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With our correspondent in London,
Muriel Delcroix
The week on the Covid-19 war front ends on a very mixed note in the UK.
The virus's reproduction rate has fallen slightly and is now between 0.8 and 1, which means that the number of infections has peaked in some areas and is starting to decline in others, showing that the effects of third confinement are felt.
This encouraging trend was however immediately swept aside by the announcement on Friday evening, January 22, that
the variant identified in September
in the south-east of the country was linked to a higher mortality.
In 60-year-olds, the variant is thus fatal in 13 to 14 cases out of 1,000 compared to 10 out of 1,000 with the “classic” Covid-19.
However, all currently available evidence shows that the two vaccines used in the UK against Covid-19 remain effective against the new variant.
The mass vaccination campaign continues to go well.
5.4 million people have now been vaccinated.
However, the pressure on hospitals has not diminished with 78% more hospitalizations compared to the first wave.
In this context, the government once again asked the British to respect instructions scrupulously and to stay at home.
Boris Johnson even warned that
the current restrictions
will not be lifted until the level of infection has fallen across the country.
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Coronavirus
United Kingdom
Boris Johnson
Health and medicine
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