The new variant of the coronavirus increases the reproductive number by up to 0.7 – Hospitals

The new variant of the coronavirus is much more contagious and increases the reproductive number from 0.4 to 0.7, the BBC reported.

The number of breeders in the UK is now between 1.1 and 1.3, and needs to be below 1.0 to start reducing the incidence of infection.

The difference between the virus types is “quite extreme,” said Professor Axel Gandhi of Imperial College London.

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“There is a big difference in the ease with which the virus variant spreads,” he explained. “This is the most important change in the virus since the beginning of the epidemic.”

The transmission of the new coronavirus tripled during the quarantine in England in November due to the new variant, while in the previous version it decreased three times.

The first results showed that the virus spreads more easily among children under the age of 20, especially among high school children. However, according to the latest data, it is spreading rapidly in all age groups, said Professor Gandhi, who is part of the research team.

The reproductive number shows how many people are infected with the virus. If it is higher than 1, the epidemic grows.

The number of infected people is expected to decline as the number of vaccinated increases. Early studies showed that the vaccines would also be effective against the new variant of the coronavirus.

The new version is called VOC 202012/01 by the British Health Service. It was discovered in November, but is believed to have appeared in south-east England in September. There is no evidence that it is more deadly, but due to the increase in the number of patients, the pressure on hospitals is mounting.