The UK variant of coronavirus could be more deadly than the original, Boris Johnson has said. Britain's Prime Minister said the latest scientific evidence shows the new variant has a higher risk of death. "It is a realistic possibility that the new UK variant increases the risk of death, but there is considerable remaining uncertainty," Prof Ferguson told ITV. Patrick Vallance, the British government's chief scientific adviser, said there is growing confidence that the variant is more easily passed on than the original coronavirus strain. The UK is currently in a lockdown in an attempt to slow the latest surge of the coronavirus outbreak.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 22, 2021 17:50 UTC