CDC is trying to find out if the UK coronavirus mutation is deadlier

[Chris Smith]

• The CDC is investigating reports from the UK that the B.1.1.7 mutation is deadlier than other strains.
• UK prime minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that the mutation is causing more deaths.
• A preliminary report showed that the mortality rate has increased by 30% in patients infected with the recently-discovered COVID-19 strain.

Boris Johnson stunned the world in mid-December when he announced that UK scientists had been tracking a new coronavirus mutation that had become dominant in some parts of England. The B.1.1.7 strain features genetic changes that make it more infectious than its precursors and siblings. The strain wasn't found to cause more severe illness, and recent experiments showed that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine can neutralize it. But if it’s more infectious, the strain can increase the total number of deaths. As more people get infected, the more people there will be at risk of complications that can lead to loss of life. Since mid-December, the UK strain has been found in an increasing number of countries and US states, just as other coronavirus mutations were discovered.

On Friday, Johnson stunned the world again, claiming that the B.1.1.7 mutation is deadlier than other strains. According to a UK study, the UK mutation might kill 30% more people than other strains. But some researchers call for more data to determine whether the claim is accurate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now investigating the matter.

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CDC is trying to find out if the UK coronavirus mutation is deadlier originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 25 Jan 2021 at 17:01:59 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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