Mutated “British strain” confirmed to be more infectious, or more deadly. Pictured are British scientists studying the new B.1.1.7 strain in a laboratory on Jan. 15.
New Jersey Department of health officials confirmed last Friday (Jan. 22) that a mutated version of the Chinese Communist virus has emerged in New Jersey, and that an Ocean County man, despite not having traveled recently, was confirmed to have contracted the B.1.1.7 strain, also known as the “U.K. strain. strain). Another case of the “U.K. strain” was confirmed in a child visitor to North Jersey who was first tested in New York City on Jan. 11.
The B.1.1.7 strain was first identified in England in December 2020 and is considered to be more infectious.
Until now, while scientists have not confirmed that the mutant strain is more deadly than the regular CCP strain, they are concerned that a more contagious virus means more people will be infected and at risk of death. Scientists have stressed the need to do more research.
But on Friday, British health officials revealed preliminary data suggesting that the new strain of the virus may in fact be more deadly. The British government’s chief scientific adviser said on Friday that about 10 out of 1,000 people infected with the “conventional strain” of the virus could die. But for the new strain of the virus, it is expected that about 13 to 14 out of 1,000 infected people may die.
Scientists currently believe that the existing batch of vaccines is still effective against the new mutant strains. It is a predictable law of nature that any virus can mutate, but the outcome of a mutated virus is unpredictable.
The first appearance of the British strain was reported in Colorado and Florida in the United States during the last week of December last year. This month, more cases were reported in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Texas, Georgia and Florida.
Concerns about the new mutated virus have triggered a series of new travel restrictions around the world. Many countries have banned travelers from the United Kingdom. As of Tuesday, January 26, New Jersey had 18,984 confirmed deaths from the Chinese Communist virus (COVID-19) and an additional 2,121 suspected deaths. There are more than 3,200 inpatients in 71 hospitals across the state, a number that has remained relatively stable since December.
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