B117 COVID variant has 64% higher mortality, studies show

The 28-day risk of death for the B117 COVID-19 variant was 64% higher than previously circulating strains in people over the age of 30 in the United Kingdom. Survey locate.

Today, led by researchers at the University of Exeter BMJIncluded community-based testing and mortality data from a matching pair of 54,906 participants who were positive for COVID-19 from October 1, 2020 to January 29, 2021.

Of the total 109,812 participants, 367 (0.3%) died. Of the 54,906 participants infected with B117, 227 (0.4%) died, compared with 141 (0.3%) infected with other strains.

The hazard ratio (HR) for death up to 28 days after diagnosis was 1.64 (95% confidence interval). [CI], 1.32-2.04) Patients infected with the B117 mutant compared to the previously circulating SARS-CoV-2 strain.

The HR of death was not significantly higher in patients infected with B117 until 14 days after diagnosis, but increased to 2.40 (95% CI, 1.66 to 3.47) 15 to 28 days. Participants who died were older (mean age 66.9 years). Vs. 46.3 years) More than their peers, and more men.

“In this relatively low-risk group, this represents an increase in mortality from 2.5 to 4.1 per 1,000 cases,” the author writes. “A higher hazard ratio increase between 1.32 and 2.04 than other varieties means an increased risk of death from 32% to 104%, with the most likely hazard ratio estimate being 1.64, or death. The risk of death is increased by 64%. Absolute value However, the risk of death in the group of participants identified in this community remains relatively low. “

B117 was first identified in the United Kingdom in October 2020 and soon became dominant, causing a national blockade and igniting concerns about increased infection and possible disease severity.

Absolute risk remains low

Patients diagnosed with B117 infection had higher viral load at diagnosis than patients infected with other mutants. The authors said this could be due to mutant traits or a tendency to seek care when these participants were most contagious.

Researchers found that their results did not apply to other settings or age groups, as their study included only about 8% of deaths from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom during the study period. Warned. During that time, only 26% of COVID deaths occurred in the community, and data on B117 status was available in only 30% of those deaths. “It is not yet known whether the increase in mortality from community-based testing will be observed in older patients or inpatients,” they said.

Senior Research Authors at the University of Bristol, Leon Danon, MSci, MSc, PhD, said at the University of Exeter news release, “Focusing on cases that occurred between November 2020 and January 2021, both old and new variants existed in the UK. This maximized the number of” matches “and other bias. Subsequent analysis confirmed our results. “

B117 is considered highly infectious because it has mutations in part of the viral genome and encodes peplomer proteins involved in binding to human cells, but these mutations are considered to be the severity of the disease. The impact on outcome and mortality is unknown. The authors said future studies could inform better resource allocation and vaccine distribution and help identify the best time to relax public health restrictions.

“Medical capacity plans and national and international management policies are all affected by this finding and died in the argument that more coordinated rigorous measures to reduce SARS-CoV-2 mortality are justified. The weight of the rate is added, “the researchers conclude.

In a news release, Danone said, “SARS-CoV-2 can mutate rapidly, and there is a real concern that other variants will develop with resistance to the rapidly developing vaccine. New mutations Monitoring them as they occur, measuring their characteristics, and acting appropriately should be an important part of future public health response. “