The COVID-19 variant that was first identified in the UK, and is thought to be more than 70% more transmissible, is also more deadly than the original virus, the prime minister has warned.
At this evenings Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson said: “There is some evidence that the new variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.”
Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser has said the original variant is believed to cause the death of around 10 out of 1,000 people infected who contract the virus whereas the new virus results in the death of around ’13 or 14′ of every 1,000.
The government said a further 1,401 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 95,981.
