British mutant: According to the study, B.1.1.7 is 64 percent more deadly

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Corona mutant B.1.1.7, first discovered in the UK, is 64 percent more deadly than previous variants of the virus, according to a new study.

In 4.1 out of a thousand cases, an infection with B.1.1.7 leads to death, according to the study by researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK published on Wednesday in the journal BMJ.

For previous coronavirus variants, the death rate is 2.5 out of a thousand cases.

For their study, the researchers analyzed data pairs from almost 55,000 study participants each.

People had tested positive for the coronavirus between October and January.

After they received their test result, they were observed by the researchers for 28 days.

The scientists' focus was on people who had been tested for the coronavirus in their living environment - and not in the hospital.

This means that the proportion of risk patients was lower than in studies based on data from hospitals.

If the study results can also be transferred to other population groups, this means that B.1.1.7 has the potential to "cause considerable additional mortality compared to variants that are already in circulation," the authors write.

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With a view to initial studies, the British government had already warned in January that the mutant B.1.1.7 could take a more fatal course than the original variant of the coronavirus in up to 40 percent of cases.

In addition, scientists found that B.1.1.7 was much more transferable than the original variant.

"Significant challenge for the health system"

Reading University microbiologist Simon Clarke said the higher levels of transmissibility and the higher mortality rate now identified showed that "this variant of the virus is a significant challenge for the health system and policy makers."

It is all the more important that “people get vaccinated when they are called”.

The scientist Michael Head from the University of Southampton emphasized that the study results made clear the danger posed by a strong spread of the virus.

"The more Covid-19 there are, the greater the likelihood that a new variant of concern will arise," he said.

It is more likely that mutants will develop against which the existing vaccines are not effective.

Most corona vaccine manufacturers state that their vaccine is also effective against B.1.1.7.

However, the effectiveness of the vaccines is unclear for other already existing variants, such as the one that is currently spreading mainly in South Africa.