American scientists report new data on the Iota variant of the coronavirus – it increases mortality by 46-82%. A preprint of the research results is published on medrxiv.org.
The study was carried out by specialists from the School of Public Health named after A. Mailman of Columbia University and New York City Department of Health. In the course of it, data for November 2020-April 2021, collected in New York, were used to determine the main characteristics of the Iota strain – lethality, transmission rate, ability to avoid immunity protection.
During the processing of the results, it was found that Iota increases the mortality rate of patients: for the age range 45-64 years old by 46%, from 65 to 74 years old by 82%, for elderly people over 75 years old – by 62%. The infection rate for this strain is also higher, by about 15-25%. And up to 10% of people who have had coronavirus can become infected with the iota variant again.
At the same time, the Iota strain is not at all a new option. It was first discovered in November last year in New York, dominating there until March 2021, which did not prevent it from quickly spreading throughout the country. With the advent of the more contagious Alpha strain, its spread has declined. To date, the Iota variant has been found in 27 countries. In March, the WHO added Iota to the list of “strains of interest”.
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