The new variant of coronavirus is wreaking havoc in UK. The new strain identified in Britain could be not only more transmissible but also more deadly.

 Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said that it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant... may be associated with a higher degree of mortality," he said at a Downing Street news conference. Chief government scientist Patrick Vallance said the new variant could be around 30 percent more deadly, although he stressed that only sparse data was available. PM further said that for a 60-year-old man, around 10 in 1,000 would be expected to die after catching the original strain. But that rises to "13 or 14" for the new strain.

Britain is facing the third wave of the virus. The nation is recording daily death tolls that have pushed the total figure close to 100,000. Another 1,401 people were announced on Friday to have died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the total to 95,981. The nation has already started the vaccination drive against virus and some 5.3 million people had received their first jab.

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