Tag: Study

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Health

Oxford to launch human problem trial to review immune response

Oxford to launch human challenge trial to study immune response

Caroline Nicolls will receive an injection of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine administered by Nurse Amy Nash at Madejski Stadium in Reading, west of London, on April 13, 2021.

STEVE PARSONS | AFP | Getty Images

LONDON – Oxford University researchers announced the start of a Human Challenge study on Monday to better understand what happens when people who have already contracted the coronavirus become infected for the second time.

The researchers will investigate what kind of immune response can prevent people from becoming infected with Covid-19 again and examine how the immune system reacts to the virus a second time.

Little is currently known about what happens to people who had the virus the second time they were infected.

The experiment is carried out in two phases with different participants in each phase. The first phase is slated to begin this month and the second phase is slated to begin in summer.

In medical research, Human Challenge studies are controlled studies in which participants are intentionally exposed to a pathogen or beetle to study the effects.

“Challenge studies tell us things that other studies cannot because, unlike natural infections, they are tightly controlled,” said Helen McShane, chief investigator for the study and professor of vaccinology in the Department of Pediatrics at Oxford University.

“If we re-infect these participants, we will know exactly how their immune systems responded to the first COVID infection, when exactly the second infection occurs, and how much virus they have,” said McShane.

It is hoped that the study will help improve scientists’ basic understanding of the virus and develop tests that can reliably predict whether people will be protected.

What happens in each phase?

In the first phase, up to 64 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30 who were previously infected naturally will be re-exposed to the virus under controlled conditions.

Researchers will oversee attendees’ care while they perform CT scans of the lungs and MRI scans of the heart while isolating in a specially designed suite for at least 17 days.

All participants must be fit, healthy and have fully recovered from their initial infection with Covid to minimize the risk.

Study participants will only be released from the quarantine unit if they are no longer infected and there is a risk of the disease spreading.

A view of the City of London on a clear day.

Vuk Valcic | SOPA pictures | LightRocket via Getty Images

In the second phase of the experiment, two different areas are examined.

“First we will very carefully define the basic immune response of the volunteers before we infect them. We will then infect them with the dose of virus selected from the first study and measure how much virus we can detect after infection. We will then.” to be able to understand what kind of immune responses protect against re-infection, “said McShane.

“Second, we will measure the immune response several times after infection so we can understand what immune response is being generated by the virus,” she added.

The entire study period is 12 months, including at least eight follow-up appointments after discharge.

“This study has the potential to change our understanding by providing high-quality data on how our immune systems react to a second infection with this virus,” said Shobana Balasingam, senior research advisor on vaccines at Wellcome, a nonprofit that funded the study.

“The results could have important implications for the future management of COVID-19, influencing not only vaccine development but research into the range of effective treatments that are also badly needed,” Balasingam said.

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Business

J&J requested Pfizer, Moderna to assist research blood clots however they declined: WSJ

J&J asked Pfizer, Moderna to help study blood clots but they declined: WSJ

A person walks past a sign that reads “The vaccine is our best shot against COVID-19” on the Upper West Side amid the coronavirus pandemic in New York City on March 30, 2021.

Noam Galai | Getty Images

Johnson & Johnson has privately asked Covid-19 vaccine competitors Pfizer and Moderna to participate in a study examining the potential risk of blood clots. The companies refused, however, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Pfizer and Moderna executives said their vaccines were safe and they didn’t see the need to redouble efforts by regulators and companies already addressing the rare blood clot problem, the journal’s report said.

Only AstraZeneca, whose vaccine raised regulatory concerns about blood clots, agreed to join the effort, the Journal said.

CNBC has asked the four companies to comment.

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised states to temporarily suspend use of J & J’s vaccine “out of caution” after six women developed a rare but potentially life-threatening bleeding disorder Dead and one left in critical condition.

The women developed a condition known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) within about two weeks of receiving the shot, US health officials told reporters. CVST is a rare form of stroke that occurs when a blood clot forms in the venous sinuses of the brain. It can eventually leak blood into the brain tissue and cause bleeding.

A CDC panel on Wednesday decided to postpone a decision on J & J’s vaccine use while officials investigate the cases.

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.

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Business

Covid variant from South Africa was capable of ‘break by means of’ Pfizer vaccine in Israeli research

Israeli data suggest mass vaccinations led to drop in severe Covid cases, CDC study finds

An Israeli health worker from Maccabi Healthcare Services prepares to deliver a dose of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine in Tel Aviv on February 24, 2021.

Jack Guez | AFP | Getty Images

The coronavirus variant, first discovered in South Africa, may evade some of the protection provided by the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, according to a new Israeli study that has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Clalit, the largest health organization in Israel, examined nearly 400 people who had tested positive for Covid-19 after receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. They compared it to the same number of people who were infected and not vaccinated.

The researchers found that the prevalence of the South African variant known as B.1.351 was about eight times higher in patients who received two doses of the vaccine than in those who were not vaccinated. The data, released online over the weekend, suggest that B.1.351 may “break through” the vaccine’s protection better than the original strain, the researchers in the study wrote.

“Based on patterns in the general population, we would have expected only one case of the South African variant, but we saw eight,” Professor Adi Stern, who led the research, told The Times of Israel. “We can say it’s less effective, but more research is needed to see exactly how much.”

CNBC asked Pfizer to comment on the study.

The new data comes as public health officials are increasingly concerned that highly contagious variants, studies have shown can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, could slow global advances in the pandemic.

Last month, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued a terrible warning, telling reporters that she feared the United States was facing “impending doom” as variants spread and daily Covid-19 cases rise again, threatening to move more people to the US send hospital.

“I’m going to stop here, I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to think about the recurring feeling I have before the impending doom,” she said on March 29, so much promise and potential where we are and so much reason to Hope, but right now I’m scared. “

Israel launched its national vaccination campaign in December, prioritizing people aged 60 and over, healthcare workers, and people with comorbid illnesses. By February, it was the world leader in vaccinations, vaccinating millions of its citizens against the virus.

In January, Pfizer and the Israeli Ministry of Health signed a collaboration agreement to monitor the real effects of its vaccine.

The researchers found that the study’s main limitation was sample size. B.1,351 only made up about 1% of all Covid-19 cases, they said. B.1.1.7, the variant first identified in Great Britain, is more common.

As the variants spread, drug manufacturers tested whether a third dose would offer more protection.

In February, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they were testing a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine to better understand the immune response against new variants of the virus.

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Politics

Biden company tax hike would have little impression on enterprise: Wharton examine

Biden considers health care public option in economic recovery plan

The proposed increase in the corporate tax rate in President Joe Biden’s landmark infrastructure plan will not result in a significant reduction in corporate investment, according to a new study by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Of greatest interest to Wall Street is Biden’s plan to increase the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, which would amount to partially reversing former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

Wharton estimates that increasing the corporate rate to 28% from 2022 to 2031 would generate an additional $ 891.6 billion and, possibly surprisingly, would have little impact on corporate investment in the short term.

The school said this is because companies with significant capital investments may postpone a tax incentive called bonus write-offs until years when the Biden increases could take effect.

Bonus write-offs allow companies to deduct a large portion of the purchase price of certain assets, such as capital goods, immediately instead of having to write down their value over several years. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts doubled the bonus write-off deduction from 50% for qualifying properties to 100%.

“An increase in the statutory corporate tax rate is expected to increase corporate investment in the short term,” the Wharton researchers wrote. “Under the current accelerated depreciation regime, the marginal effective tax rates on corporate investments are low regardless of the key interest rate. As a result, an increase in the corporate tax rate does not have a material impact on the normal return on investment, but tax rents and returns on existing capital.”

Neither the White House nor the Treasury Department immediately responded to CNBC’s request for comment.

Still, Wharton found that the negligible to positive impact of a rate hike on businesses would be offset if Congress approved the American Job Plan’s minimum tax on book income, which would reduce the value of depreciation.

The infrastructure plan marks Biden’s first detailed tax proposal since he took office earlier this year. The mammoth plan is expected to see significant changes as it makes its way through Congress, where Republicans agree in their opposition to the tax hike.

Democrats who choose to pursue the infrastructure plan via a budget vote will need almost unanimous support from their caucus to pass it without GOP support. But Democratic support also remains in question after Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., made it clear earlier this week that he’s not a fan of increasing the corporate rate to 28%.

The Biden plan would reduce the federal debt

The school’s most recent study, released Wednesday morning, also found that the American government’s employment plan will generate $ 2.1 trillion in tax revenue and spend $ 2.7 trillion in spending between 2021 and 2030.

By 2050, the proposed tax increases and repairs to American infrastructure will reduce US debt by 6.4% and GDP by 0.8% in 2050 from current law.

“First of all, the federal debt will rise by 1.7 percent by 2031 because of new spending in the [American Jobs Plan] exceeds the new revenue generated, “wrote the researchers.” However, after the new editions of the AJP end in 2029, their tax increases will persist – as a result, the federal debt will decrease by 6.4 percent by 2050 compared to the current legal basis. “

The relatively modest decline in economic growth through 2050 is in large part due to the fact that infrastructure improvements will allow Americans to be more productive in the years to come, the school said.

Repairing transportation infrastructures can, for example, help increase productivity in the long term if US workers spend less time in traffic or commuting around a vulnerable bridge.

“Public investments include new spending on transit infrastructure, research and development, and supply chains for domestic manufacturing,” the researchers wrote. “These are seen as investments in ‘public capital’ that increase the productivity of private capital and labor.”

On the revenue side, the Wharton School noted that the American employment plan would be funded through a combined increase in corporate tax rate, a minimum tax on corporate book income, an increase in the tax rate on foreign profits, and the elimination of tax breaks for fossil fuels.

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Health

1 in three Covid survivors suffers neurological or psychological problems: examine

1 in 3 Covid survivors suffers neurological or mental disorders: study

Reyes Magana, Teamsters Local’s 848 business agent, will be tested for COVID-19 at a test site provided by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on July 16, 2020 in Long Beach, California.

Mario Tama | Getty Images

One in three Covid-19 survivors has suffered a neurological or psychiatric disorder within six months of being infected with the virus. This was estimated in an observational study of more than 230,000 patient records.

The study, published Tuesday in the Lancet Psychiatry Journal, analyzed data from the electronic health records of 236,379 Covid-19 patients from the US-based TriNetX network, which includes more than 81 million people.

This group was compared to 105,579 patients diagnosed with influenza and 236,038 patients diagnosed with respiratory infection (including influenza).

Overall, the estimated incidence of a diagnosis of a neurological or mental disorder after Covid-19 infection was 34%. This was the result of a study by researchers at Oxford University who examined 14 neurological and mental illnesses.

For 13% of these people, it was their first recorded neurological or psychiatric diagnosis.

The most common diagnoses after the coronavirus were anxiety disorders (17% of patients), mood disorders (14%), substance abuse disorders (7%), and insomnia (5%). The incidence of neurological outcomes was lower, including 0.6% for cerebral hemorrhage, 2.1% for ischemic stroke, and 0.7% for dementia.

Taking into account the underlying health characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and existing health conditions, there was an overall 44% higher risk of neurological and mental health diagnoses after Covid-19 than after flu and after Covid a 16% higher risk -19 than after Respiratory infections.

Since the coronavirus first appeared in China in late 2019, over 132 million cases of the virus and over 2.8 million deaths have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Professor Paul Harrison, lead author of the study in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, said the latest study underscores the need to equip health systems to potentially cope with higher numbers of neurological disorders in survivors of the virus.

“These are real data from a large number of patients. They confirm the high rates of psychiatric diagnoses after Covid-19 and show that serious disorders of the nervous system (such as stroke and dementia) also occur. especially in patients with severe Covid-19, “he noted.

“Although the individual risks for most diseases are small, the impact on the health and welfare systems of the population as a whole can be significant because of the scale of the pandemic and the fact that many of these diseases are chronic. As a result, health systems must do so . ” Provide funds to meet anticipated needs within both primary and secondary care. “

Dr. Max Taquet, co-author of the Oxford University study, said more research needed to be done to see “what happens after six months”.

“The study fails to uncover the mechanisms involved, but it does indicate the need for urgent research to identify them in order to prevent or treat them.”

Since the pandemic emerged worldwide in spring 2020, numerous studies have been conducted into the short and long-term effects of the virus. Oxford University’s Psychiatry Department noted that there was growing concern that survivors could be at increased risk for neurological disorders.

“A previous observational study by the same research group reported that Covid-19 survivors were at increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders in the first three months after infection. However, there is no extensive data yet investigating the risks of neurological and psychiatric diagnoses in the six months after the Covid-19 infection, “said the department.

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Health

Research exhibits promising immune response towards variants

Study shows promising immune response against variants

Scientists at the Mirimus Laboratory prepare to test COVID-19 samples from recovered patients on April 8, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York.

Mischa Friedman | Getty Images

One type of T cell responsible for destroying cells infected with viruses was able to detect three variants of Covid-19 in a small US study, a promising sign that vaccines should continue to protect against new, emerging strains researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.

Researchers led by NIAID researcher Andrew Redd investigated whether T cells were found in blood samples from patients recovering from the original strain of virus that recognized B.1.1.7, the variant B.1.351 originally detected in the UK was originally found in South Africa and P.1, first seen in Brazil. The NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health, which published the study.

Each of the three variants the scientists examined contained mutations in what is known as the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells. Mutations in this spike protein region could make it less noticeable to T cells and neutralizing antibodies, another important part of the immune response, after infection or vaccination, the researchers said.

In the study, which used blood samples from 30 recovered Covid-19 patients, T-cell responses “remained largely intact and were able to detect virtually all mutations in the variants studied,” they said, adding that even larger studies are required.

“The researchers note that their results suggest that the T-cell response in convalescents, and most likely in vaccines, is largely unaffected by the mutations found in these three variants and should provide protection against emerging variants,” the US wrote Authority a press release.

The results of the study could give hope to public health officials as they attempt to vaccinate the US and other parts of the world. New variants have been a problem for health officials as studies have shown that variants can reduce the effectiveness of current vaccines. The Chief Medical Officer of the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci, urged Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible before potentially more dangerous variants emerge.

On Monday, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the reporter. She said she was concerned the nation was facing “impending doom” as variants spread and daily Covid-19 cases rise again, threatening to send more people to the hospital.

Scientists say strong responses from both antibodies and T cells are likely required for an effective immune response against the virus. Further studies to examine immune responses are still needed, the researchers stressed, including whether a booster shot would be effective against emerging variants.

“New variants continue to be identified around the world and it will be important to continuously monitor them for possible accumulation of T cell escape mutations,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers also noted that the study had limitations, including the relatively small size of the population studied and that all participants were from North America.

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Business

CDC examine reveals single dose of Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccines was 80% efficient

CDC changes Covid vaccine guidance to OK mixing Pfizer and Moderna shots

According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of vaccinated health care workers, a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna was 80% effective in preventing coronavirus infections.

The effectiveness of the partial immunization was noted two weeks after the first dose, according to the CDC, which studied nearly 4,000 health care workers, first responders and frontline workers between December 14 and March 13, according to other key study staff, which began on Monday had no prior laboratory documentation of the Covid-19 infection.

Two doses are better than one, federal health officials said, adding that the vaccines’ effectiveness rose to 90% two weeks after the second dose.

“These results show that approved mRNA-COVID-19 vaccines in adults of working age effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection under real conditions, regardless of symptom status,” wrote the US agency in the study. “The COVID-19 vaccination is recommended to all entitled persons.”

The new CDC results should back up arguments by some health experts and health officials that the US should give Americans only one dose of vaccines as a priority before moving on to a second dose, accelerating the pace of vaccination across the country.

The CDC results were released just minutes before the press conference by the agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the hospital also released as vaccinations nationwide expedite.

Unlike the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires one dose, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two vaccinations three to four weeks apart. The Chief Medical Officer of the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has said repeatedly over the past few months that the US should stick to the two-dose regime.

Dr. Paul Offit, a voting member of the FDA’s Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Related Biological Products who reviewed both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines for emergency approval, said the CDC study was overall “good news” .

However, he said he feared people would now think a dose of the vaccines was “good enough” and would not return for a second shot. He said studies have shown that immunity actually appears to be “more permanent” after the second dose, meaning protection may last longer.

“The reason these are two-dose vaccines is because the second dose provides a titer of neutralizing antibodies, virus-specific neutralizing antibodies, that is nearly ten times greater than the first dose,” he told CNBC. Neutralizing antibodies play an important role in the defense of cells against the virus.

Second, and more importantly, scientists have also discovered what are known as T cells, another important part of the immune response that usually lasts longer Immunity, he said.

There are also still questions about the highly contagious variants and whether the vaccines protect mild to moderate forms of the disease, he said.

Of the 3,950 participants in the study, 2,479, or 62.8%, received both recommended doses, and 477, or 12.1%, received only one dose, according to the CDC. The infection rate among the vaccinated participants was 0.04 compared to 1.38 among the non-vaccinated participants.

The study was conducted in eight locations in the United States: Phoenix, Tucson, and other areas in Arizona; Miami, Florida; Duluth, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Temple, Texas; and Salt Lake City, Utah. The majority of the participants were female, white, and had no chronic illnesses, according to the CDC.

The study had limitations, the CDC said, adding that delays in deliveries could reduce virus detection sensitivity of Covid-19 tests.

Preliminary real-world vaccine efficacy results for both vaccines complement and expand on estimates of vaccine efficacy from other recent studies, the CDC said. A large study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February found that Pfizer’s vaccine was 94% effective against symptomatic Covid.

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Business

Do it’s essential put on masks after Covid vaccine? New NIH-backed research hopes to reply that

Do you need to wear masks after Covid vaccine? New NIH-backed study hopes to answer that

Nurses remove vaccination doses from a vial while Maryland residents receive their second dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at the Cameron Grove Community Center in Bowie, Maryland on March 25, 2021.

Win McNamee | Getty Images

A new study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, aims to help doctors and officials figure out what people can and cannot do after vaccinating against the coronavirus, including whether they are still wearing masks and social Need to practice distancing.

The study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the NIH, will test the ability of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to prevent infection of the coronavirus, limit the amount of virus in the nose, and reduce transmission from vaccinated people to close contacts.

“We hope that in the next five months we will be able to answer the very important question of whether people who have been vaccinated will become infected asymptomatically and whether they will then pass the infection on to others,” said White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a press conference on Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that fully vaccinated individuals can congregate indoors with other fully vaccinated individuals and some unvaccinated individuals without precautions such as wearing masks or maintaining a distance. Vaccinated people should continue to mask and practice social distancing in public, according to the CDC’s initial guidelines.

Scientists still don’t know whether immunized people can get asymptomatic infections or act as carriers that transmit the virus to others. As more Americans get vaccinated, this NIH study aims to answer those questions.

The randomized, controlled trial will follow 12,000 college students aged 18 to 26 at more than 20 US universities over a period of five months. Preliminary study locations were opened on Thursday.

Study participants are randomly divided into two groups. Six thousand students are immediately vaccinated with Moderna’s two-shot vaccine 28 days apart. Six thousand will be vaccinated four months later as the first control group.

Students dab their noses daily to test for coronavirus infections, fill out electronic questionnaires, and take regular blood samples.

Around 25,000 people identified as “close contacts” among the participants will also take part in the study, providing nasal swabs and blood samples. The researchers will use the close contacts to measure the level of virus transmission from vaccinated people.

More than 133 million Covid vaccine doses were administered in the US on Thursday morning, according to the CDC.

President Joe Biden set a new goal of 200 million coronavirus vaccinations Thursday in his first 100 days in office.

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Business

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is Discovered to Be 79% Efficient in U.S. Research

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is Found to Be 79% Effective in U.S. Study

However, the rate at which several nations discontinued use of the vaccine reflected a reluctance about its safety and effectiveness that contrasts sharply with the confidence shown in other vaccines. Confidence in the vaccine has fallen in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and, to a lesser extent, the UK, according to surveys.

Participants who received the vaccine in the study did not have an increased risk of blood clots or related diseases. And a specific search did not find any cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis – blood clots in the brain that can cause dangerous bleeding – which raise some of the most serious concerns in Europe.

Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow on Global Health at the University of Southampton in the UK, said the results could allay concerns not only in Europe but around the world. He said he had received messages in the past few days from colleagues in Ghana resenting how he could explain safety concerns to people who had just celebrated the arrival of the vaccine weeks earlier.

“Given the light raids the AstraZeneca vaccine has suffered in the past few weeks – and particularly in the last week or two in Europe – there is new data to show that it is safe and effective, if you excuse the phrase , a good shot of the arm, ”he said. “The publication of these results is actually quite well timed as the vaccine may be hesitant.”

The US study also found no cases of serious neurological problems. This was a cause for concern last summer after two volunteers at AstraZeneca’s trial in the UK became ill with neurological problems. Although these cases forced a seven-week suspension of the clinical trial in the US, the researchers ultimately concluded that the diseases could not be linked to the vaccine. Still, the delay has been a key factor in why AstraZeneca has so far lagged behind three other vaccine manufacturers that have received emergency clearance in the United States.

According to AstraZeneca, the vaccine worked well across all races and ages. The vaccine was 80 percent effective in approximately 6,000 subjects over 65 years of age – results that likely allay concerns about insufficient clinical trial data on how well the vaccine works in the elderly. Some countries temporarily limited vaccinations with the shot to younger people before reversing course to allow use in all age groups after data from the vaccine’s launch in the UK showed the vaccine offered strong protection in the elderly.

Even if the vaccine is not used in the US, obtaining emergency clearance from the FDA – whose rigorous review process is considered the global gold standard – would be a major milestone for AstraZeneca. Some countries that have not yet approved the vaccine may try to follow the FDA’s lead.

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Health

Covid variant present in U.Ok. 64% extra lethal than earlier strains: Examine

Covid variant found in U.K. 64% more deadly than earlier strains: Study

A patient is placed in an ambulance outside the Royal London Hospital in London during England’s third national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Picture date: Wednesday February 17, 2021.

Ian West | PA Pictures | Getty Images

The highly contagious variant of the coronavirus, first identified in the UK, is linked to a 64% higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than previous strains, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol analyzed data from more than 100,000 patients in the UK between October 1 and January 28. They compared the death rates of people infected with B.1.1.7, the variant first found in the UK, and those infected with other previously circulating strains.

The researchers, who released their results on Wednesday, said people infected with B.1.1.7 were between 32% and 104% more likely to die. This corresponds to a central estimate of 64%. The “absolute risk of death in this largely unvaccinated population remains low”.

“Death from COVID-19 is still a rare occurrence in the community, but variant B.1.1.7 increases the risk. Coupled with its ability to spread quickly, B.1.1.7 is a threat that should be taken seriously. “Robert Challen, the lead author of the study in Exeter, said in a press release.

The researchers said B.1.1.7 resulted in 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 patients. This compares to 141 deaths in roughly the same number of patients infected with other strains.

They said with the variant, which has already been discovered in more than 50 countries around the world, “the analysis provides vital information for governments and health agencies to help prevent its spread.”

The UK identified B.1.1.7 in autumn 2020, which appears to be spreading more easily and faster than other strains. Since then, it has spread to other parts of the world, including the US, which identified 3,283 cases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Tuesday. U.S. health officials say they are working to identify more cases.

The new study comes roughly two months after a CDC study warned that B.1.1.7 could become the dominant strain in the United States. CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told JAMA on Feb. 17 that variant B.1.1.7 is considered to be about 50% more transmissible and early data suggests it could be up to 50% more virulent or deadly.

New variants are particularly a problem for public health officials as they could become more resistant to antibody treatments and vaccines. Senior health officials, including the White House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, urge Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The virus cannot mutate if it cannot infect hosts and cannot multiply.