A highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first identified in Britain does not cause more severe disease in hospitalized patients, according to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Monday.
The strain, known as B.1.1.7, was identified in Britain late last year and has become the most common strain in the United States, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study analyzed a group of 496 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to British hospitals in November and December last year, comparing outcomes in patients infected with B.1.1.7 or other variants. The researchers found no difference in risks of severe d…
Keep on reading: British variant of COVID-19 not as severe as feared—The Lancet