British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said a new variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the UK could be more deadly.
The mutant strain is already known to be more transmissible than the virus that first emerged in China in 2019.
But the PM said scientists have provided the British government with new evidence showing it could also be more deadly.
"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant – the variant that was first identified in London and the South East [of England] – may be associated with a higher degree of mortality,” he said in a press conference today.
"It's largely the impact of this new variant that means the [British health system] is under such intense pressure."
British officials added, however, that the evidence is at a preliminary stage.
The UK’s chief scientific adviser said evidence of heightened mortality “is not yet strong” but is a “concern.”
The variant has been detected in dozens of countries around the world – including Canada – since it was first discovered in September 2020.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on Dec. 27 that the first case of the new strain had been identified in a resident who had returned from the UK.
Since then more cases of the variant have been detected in the province.
