The Telegraph
Boris Johnson to give press conference at 5pm - watch live Ministers consider £500 payment for positive Covid test Boris Johnson suggests lockdown could last until summer Fraser Nelson: Vaccines may usher in Fortress Britain Coronavirus latest news: R-rate falls below 1 across the UK Subscribe to The Telegraph for a month-long free trial The UK variant of coronavirus may be up to 30 per cent more deadly, Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has warned. "There is evidence that there is an increased risk for people who have the new variant, compared to the old variant," Sir Patrick told a No10 press conference. Sir Patrick stressed the data was "uncertain", but suggested that for a man in his 60s, the risk of death with the new variant is 13 in 1000 rather than 10 in 1000. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We've been informed today that in addition to spreading more quickly it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant, the variant that was first identified in London and the South East, may be associated with a higher degree of mortality." The new variant, which has now been reported across the UK and in several other countries, is also more transmissable. The warnings came as Sir Patrick said the variants which had emerged in South Africa and Brazil may be less susceptible to the vaccines that have been developed. Follow the latest updates below.
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