China News Service, January 23. According to the "Central News Agency" report, on the 22nd local time, the British government stated that some preliminary evidence showed that the new coronavirus variants discovered in the UK not only have a higher transmission rate than the old virus, but also a higher fatality rate.

Fortunately, there is currently no evidence that the mutant virus will invalidate the vaccine.

Data map: On January 4, local time, London, England, a government public health message appeared on a road sign on the side of the road.

　　According to reports, British Prime Minister Johnson held a press conference on the evening of the 22nd and stated that some preliminary evidence showed that “in addition to faster transmission, the variant viruses found in London and southeast England may have a higher fatality rate.”

　　This result was discovered by the British government's "New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group" (NERVTAG) research, but all the evidence is still in the early stages.

　　In September 2020, people discovered the new crown variant virus in Kent, England. This is also the variant virus that has spread the most in England and Northern Ireland and has spread to dozens of countries and regions around the world.

　　The chief scientific adviser to the British government, Patrick Vallance, said that the variant virus found in Kent is known to spread faster than the old virus, and regardless of ethnic group, "people of all ages can be infected."

　　Previous studies have shown that the transmission rate of the variant virus found in the UK is 30% to 70% higher than the old virus.

Valence said that as for the fatality rate, preliminary evidence shows that assuming 1,000 60-year-old people are infected with the old virus and the death rate is 10 per 1,000, the variant virus may cause 13 to 14 deaths per 1,000 people.

　　Valence also said that although the evidence was “concerning”, it was “not strong enough.”

"I must emphasize that there are still many uncertainties in these figures, and we must conduct more research. However, the increase in fatalities and infection rates is obviously a cause for concern."

　　On the other hand, Valence said that clinical evidence shows that the vaccine is effective against both old and variant viruses, "this is good news."

However, he also said that the response of the variant viruses found in South Africa and Brazil to the vaccine is still a cause for concern.

　　Johnson said that there are currently about 38,000 confirmed patients hospitalized in England, 78% higher than the peak of the first wave.

The British medical system is under heavy pressure and it is hoped that the public will abide by the epidemic prevention ban.