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New coronavirus variant does not cause illness more severe than others: study

A new variant of the novel coronavirus does not appear to cause more severe illness than other variants, according to a matched study by Public Health England.

Scientists say the new variant can spread more rapidly. It was found in England in mid-December and led to other countries imposing travel restrictions to the United Kingdom. Several other countries have reported variants, including Pakistan, where the three cases were confirmed on Tuesday.

Under the study, researchers compared 1,769 people infected with the new variant with 1,769 who had what they described as “wild-type” virus. The two groups were matched 1:1 on the basis of age, sex, area of residence and time of testing.

Of the 42 people who were admitted to hospital, 16 were infected with the new variant while 26 cases had wild-type infection, according to the study. In terms of fatality, there were 12 deaths in variant cases compared to 10 deaths in wild-type cases.

Source
Reuters

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