People infected with Kent coronavirus variant are MORE likely to get symptoms, ONS report reveals

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People infected with Kent coronavirus variant are MORE likely to get symptoms than those who catch older strains, ONS report reveals – but they are less likely to lose smell and taste

  • People infected with the Kent coronavirus variant are more likely to get symptoms than those with older strain
  • Figures showed that 19 per cent of those who tested positive with UK variant had a loss of smell and taste
  • No 10 last week revealed there is some evidence the Kent strain could be more deadly than other versions

By Emily Webber For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

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People infected with the Kent coronavirus variant are more likely to get symptoms than those who have caught older strains but are less likely to lose their smell and taste, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

Data from the ONS revealed today that 53 per cent of people in England who tested positive with the variant reported Covid-19 symptoms such as cough, fatigue and fever, compared to 48 per cent of people with other variants. 

All symptoms were equally or more likely among people with the Kent variant except for a loss of taste and smell, which is considered to be one of the tell-tale signs of the virus. 

Figures showed that 19 per cent of those who tested positive with the UK variant had a loss of smell and taste in comparison to other strains, among which it was 22 per cent.

The Government last week revealed that scientists think the Kent variant may be more deadlier than the previous dominant version of the virus, and it is already known to be more infectious by around 30 to 70 per cent.

The Kent strain now makes up around 60 per cent of all cases in England, according to separate ONS testing figures.

The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference last week: ‘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.’

Members of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), a subcommittee of SAGE, compiled 10 different studies looking into the lethality of the new strain.

Eight found the variant was more deadly than previous strains, which led to the group concluding there was a ‘realistic possibility’.

But the findings from the studies varied wildly and had wide confidence intervals, which led to accusations that No10 was premature in announcing the development.

Chief Scientific adviser Sir Patrick even admitted during the press conference evidence the strain is more deadly is still ‘weak’.

Responding to those criticisms, Professor Edmunds said on Monday: ‘I think it’s pretty solid [the evidence] and if we had not said something about it, you’d be criticising the Government for not saying something about it and sweeping it under the carpet.’

Asked about what Kent strain’s increased deadliness means for lockdown, Professor Graham Medley, another SAGE member, said the new analysis was ‘concerning’ but doesn’t mean we need to do anything hugely different.

‘The situation is we’ve got about 100,000 infections a day and that is very serious. Additional mortality from new variant is concerning but it doesn’t change the effect of 100,000 [cases] ,that’s the main cause of the deaths.

‘If we want to reduce number of deaths we have to reduce incidence. Reduction of cases is the critical thing.’

What do we know about the Kent variant? 

Name: B.1.1.7, formerly VUI-202012/01

Where did it come from? The variant was first found in Kent and can be traced back to September 2020. Scientists noticed that it was spreading in November  and it was revealed to the public in December.

What makes it new? The variant, which is a version of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid-19, has a series of mutations that change the shape of the spike protein on its outside. The main one is known as N501Y. This appears to make it better able to stick to the cells inside the body and makes it more likely to cause infection and faster to spread.

How did that happen? Viruses, particularly ones spreading so fast and in such huge numbers, mutate all the time. To reproduce they basically force living cells to copy and paste the viral genetic code, and this can contain errors that lead to slightly different versions of the virus. Often these mutations make no difference but, if they make the virus stronger, they can stick around for further generations and become the norm. 

What can we do about it? Nothing much. People who catch the virus won’t know which type they have, and it will still cause the same symptoms and illness. Officials can try to contain it by locking down the areas where it is most prevalent, but if it is stronger than other versions of the virus it will eventually spread everywhere and become dominant as long as people continue to travel.  

Will our vaccines still work? Yes, it’s very likely they will. Scientists on SAGE are fairly sure the mutations the Kent variant carries do not significantly affect how well the immune system can handle it. People who have a vaccine modelled on an older version of the virus, or who have been infected with Covid-19 before, are likely to be immune to it. This is because the main mutations are only on one part of the spike protein, whereas the immune system is able to target various other parts of the virus.