Kent variant could become ‘world’s dominant strain’
The Kent variant of the coronavirus could become the “world’s dominant strain”, the head of the UK’s genetic surveillance said this morning.
The variant has been detected across Britain and in more than 50 countries around the world.
“It’s going to sweep the world, in all probability,” professor Sharon Peacock told BBC news this morning.
The Covid strain was first discovered at the start of December, and was blamed for a huge jump in coronavirus cases over the Christmas period.
It is now the dominant strain of coronavirus across the UK. The Prime Minister said last month that the B117 variant is around 70 per cent more transmissible, and may be up to 40 per cent more deadly.
Scientists from Oxford University, working in collaboration with AstraZeneca, said their jab had similar efficacy against the Kent variant, compared with the original coronavirus strain it was tested against.
This week scientists found a new variant of the Kent Covid strain, which was considered to be a “variant of concern”.