A new study by a team of British scientists suggests that a variant of coronavirus that was recently discovered in England is 56% more contagious than the original strain.
The study, launched by the Center for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that while the data suggest the new variant is more contagious, there are no results that show it is more deadly, The New reported York Times.
Researchers have warned that stricter action should be taken due to the new option, including the closure of universities and schools. They also advocated for more widespread vaccinations.
“It may be necessary to greatly accelerate the launch of the vaccine,” they said, according to the Times.
Alessandro Vespignani, director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University in Boston, was not involved in the study, but agreed with the findings.
“While we are all enjoying the vaccine,” he told the newspaper, “this is a possible change in the epidemiological context that will make the coming months much more complex and dangerous to navigate.”
“There is evidence that the variant is more transmissible, and this implies that it will probably require even more effort to continue the spread under control,” he added.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier this week that the new strain could already be present in the United States. He also said he is working to determine how quickly the virus is transmitted.