U.K. coronavirus strain no deadlier among hospitalized patients, study suggests

(Image credit: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)

published 13 April 2021

The B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant first discovered in Britain spreads more easily that older strains, sending more people to the hospital, but it doesn't lead to more severe cases or higher rates of death once patients are hospitalized, a study published Monday in the journal The Lance Infectious Disease found.

"If you need hospitalization, you're not worse with this variant compared to the previous virus strain," said Eleni Nastouli, senior author of the paper and a clinical virologist and pediatrician at University College London. "Of course, if you're requiring hospital admission for COVID, that is a worry," she conceded. "But it's not more than the previous strain."

It has been clear for months that the B.1.1.7 variant is more contagious than earlier ones, and other researchers have found that it is deadlier overall. One of those researchers, Nicholas Davies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Wall Street Journal the new study doesn't contradict the other ones. The current evidence points to the U.K. strain being "more likely to land you in the hospital," he said, but no likelier to have a bad outcome once you are hospitalized.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox