In France, the so-called English variant now represents two-thirds of pollution. Appearing in south-east London at the end of last September, it proved that it could broadcast more across the channel in just a few weeks, as in France. Experts say its biggest danger so far. The studies were contradictory.

A large-scale assessment was published on March 10th British Medical Journal, Leads to worrying conclusions: “Infection with the English variant has a high risk of increasing mortality”, the authors write, researchers at the University of Exeter and Bristol.

Their work is based on solid data. Experts examined 54,906 people who tested positive in the town for the English variant. Between October 1, 2020 and January 29, 2021, during the same period, they were compared with positive patients, but with the strain virus. Patients in both groups had similar characteristics of age, gender, and social background.

Within 28 days after the test, 227 deaths were found in 54,906 patients infected with the English variant. In another group, 141 deaths were to be condemned, similar to the numerical plan. The initial rate is reduced from 2.5 per 1000 with the virus to 4.1 per 1000 with the English variant. Therefore, the average mortality rate is 64% higher. According to the authors, if the mortality rate increases, it is much lower.

More contagious

“This is a very good and high-quality study that provides very accurate data,” said Professor Elizabeth Bevett, president of the Technical Committee on Immunization of the High Authority for Health. However, this does not provide an explanation for why this death rate is so high. Moreover, other studies show that this large mutation of the English mutation is more easily linked to the cells of the organism. “Viruses with the mutations we see are constantly adapting to survive,” says Pr Bouvet.

So far, the English variants have been studied better than the South African and Brazilian variants. The effectiveness of vaccines under these transitional pressures is a matter of great concern.

“Currently, the vaccines used in France, Pfizer, Modena and AstraZeneca should maintain their effectiveness against the English variant,” the virologist said. Data on their impact on the South African variant are more mixed. Vaccination campaigns can only determine on a large scale whether they are successfully controlling these viruses. “