UK PM Johnson: New Covid-19 variant 'may be associated with a higher level of mortality'

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 23): UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured) announced yesterday that the new English Covid-19 variant, besides being more transmissible, may carry higher risk of death, Reuters reported today.

"We've been informed today that in addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first discovered in London and the southeast (of England) - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," he told a media conference.

Johnson also clarified that “the current evidence” showed both vaccines being deployed by the health authorities “remained effective against old and new variants”.

Meanwhile, Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance told Reuters that “evidence about mortality levels was not yet strong" and it came from a "series of different bits of information". He “stressed” that there was still “great uncertainty around the data”.

"There's no real evidence of an increase in mortality for those in hospital. However, when data are looked at in terms of those who've been tested positive... there is evidence that there's an increased risk for those who have the new variant, compared to the old virus," he explained.

He also explained to Reuters that “for a man in his sixties the average risk was that 10 in 1,000 people who got infected would be expected to die” but this rose to roughly 13 or 14 people in 1,000 with the new Covid-19 variant.

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