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Now it’s the UK variant, 50% more transmissible and causing 55% more deaths
The rapidly spreading variant of the COVID-19 virus in Sri Lanka which is also causing more severe disease than usual is the United Kingdom (UK) variant – B.1.1.7.
This was revealed on the morning of Wednesday (April 28) along with the information that the Epidemiology Unit had been informed on April 8 about an ‘S drop’ (an ‘S’ gene target failure) which indicated a new variant in Boralesgamuwa.
On Wednesday, the Director of Operations in Clinical Services – Allergy, Immunology & Cell Biology Unit of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Dr. Chandima Jeewandara said: “We can now confirm after genetic sequencing, that the variant found in the 43 samples from Boralesgamuwa, Colombo and Kurunegala is the UK variant. It is 50% more transmissible and causes 55% more deaths.”
Pointing out that it was the first time that they had detected the UK variant from the community, he told the media on Wednesday at a briefing organised by the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) on ‘New variants of COVID-19 and its implications’ that there were 8 cases from a construction site in Boralesgamuwa.
When asked whether there was any indication about the origin of the infection, he said the Health Ministry would investigate that aspect of it.
“There has been some discussion over whether the variant causing the rapid spread of COVID-19 is from India (the double mutant), but now we know for sure that it is the UK variant. It is also causing lots of trouble in places such as Delhi and Punjab,” he said, pointing out that earlier in Sri Lanka, this variant was found only in quarantine centres.