As well as being more contagious, the British variant could also be "linked to a higher degree of mortality".
This is what Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said at a press conference on Friday, adding that "evidence" seems to exist.
For men in their 60s, the risk of death is 10 in 1,000 with the virus, a figure that reaches 13 to 14 in 1,000 with the new variant, said the government's scientific adviser, Patrick. Vallance, before warning about the uncertainty of these figures and highlighting a "concern that there has been an increase in mortality as well as an increase in transmissibility".
The English variant continues to spread around the world.
It now affects at least 60 countries and territories.
The United Kingdom is the country most bereaved in Europe by the pandemic, with nearly 96,000 deaths, or 1,401 more in 24 hours.
The country has reconfigured for the third time in an attempt to stem a new wave of the virus, attributed to this variant.
