The new, highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 strain circulating in the United Kingdom is likely already sowing COVID-19 around the world, scientists say, fueling worries about recent surges that have swamped hospitals and whether it can thwart currently authorized vaccines.The fact that the variant has developed 23 mutations in a matter of months is also reason for concern, top US experts say.The variant, called B.1.1.7, has caused upwards of 50% of COVID-19 cases from Oct 5 and Dec 13 in the UK, mostly in people younger than 60 years, according to a Dec 21 World Health Organization report.
An observed increase in the virus reproduction number (R0), the number of people that one infected person can infect—from 1.1 to 1.5—suggests that it is much more