Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the coronavirus variant which was first identified in the UK may be more deadly than the original virus.
Boris Johnson announced the latest news on the UK variant at a coronavirus press conference at Downing Street today (January 22).
Speaking at the conference, Boris Johnson said: “There is some evidence that the new variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.”
The variant was first identified in Kent and is said to be 70% more transmissible than the original virus.
The Prime Minister added that “all current evidence continues to show” that the current vaccines remain effective against the old variant, as well as the UK one.
Following the surge in coronavirus cases as a result of the UK variant, Mr Johnson put England in its third national lockdown on January 4th.
At the conference today, Boris Johnson said the vaccines are the “best and fastest way to defeat this virus”, and urged people to book their appointments to receive the jab “when that letter arrives.