The Kent coronavirus variant is up to 70 per cent more infectious and 30 per cent more deadly than the original strain, scientists fear.
Concerns about the new strain follows reports that more than 50 countries have cases of the mutant B.1.1.7 strain.
Professor Sharon Peacock, head of the Covid-19 Genomics UK (Cog-UK) Consortium, said the variant is going to sweep the world, in all probability .
She also said the increased transmissibility of the virus will likely cause scientists difficulties for years to come.
The variant - which is already the dominant strain across the UK - is also understood to be 30 per cent more deadly than previous strains, as well as 70 per cent more infectious.
Lizzie Meadows is Biorepository Project Manager at the Quadram Institute on Norwich Research Park
- Credit: Lizzie Meadows
Lizzie Meadows, Biorepository Project Manager at the Quadram Institute on Norwich Research Park, explains how her work project managing a library of human tissue samples is contributing to the national effort against Covid-19.
Lizzie loves the mountains and has trekked the Himalayas
- Credit: Lizzie Meadows
Each month, those working at the pioneering heart of Norwich Research Park tell us how their work is shaping the world we live in. Read their stories here.
What does your role involve?
I am responsible for project managing Norwich Research Park’s Biorepository to create a state-of-the-art, world-class facility. I lead teams from the Quadram Institute, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and University of East Anglia (UEA). I also provide project management support to the Quadram Institute’s genome sequencing team who are contributing
Researchers in the United States who tracked the evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an immunocompromised patient found that convalescent plasma therapy was associated with the emergence of viral variants that were less susceptible to neutralizing antibodies.
After months of preparation, Maine well positioned to find cases of COVID-19 variants
The state partnered early with the world-renowned Jackson Laboratory to conduct genomic sequencing, which detects variants of the coronavirus.
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Advanced planning and a partnership with a world-renowned genetics lab put Maine in an enviable position to quickly detect when new and more contagious COVID-19 variants arrive.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday the state’s first case of the B.1.1.7 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom, making Maine the 35th state to report a positive case of the variant.