A highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first identified in Britain does not cause more severe disease in hospitalized patients, according to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Monday, April 12.

The strain, known as B117, was identified in Britain late last year and has become the most common strain in the United States, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study analyzed a group of 496 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to British hospitals in November and December last year, comparing outcomes in patients infected with B117 or other variants. The researchers found no difference in risks of severe disease, death, or other clinical outcomes in patients with B117 and other variants.

“Our data, within the context and limitations of a real-world study, provide initial reassurance that severity in hospitalized patients with B117 is not markedly different from severity in those without,” the researchers said in the study.

A separate study published in The Lancet Public Health medical journal found that vaccines were likely to be effective against the British variant since there was no apparent increase in reinfection rate when compared to non-UK variants.

According to British scientists, the British variant was about 40%-70% more transmissible than previously dominant variants.

The studies also confirmed the previous findings that B117 was more transmissible. – Rappler.com