Does SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 Put People in the Hospital?

In an English cohort analysis, infection with B.1.1.7 was more likely to be associated with hospitalization than other circulating variants.

The B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant emerged in Southern England in November 2020 and soon predominated in that region and in many other countries. B.1.1.7 is more transmissible than wild-type SARS-CoV-2, but whether it is associated with worse disease outcomes remains debatable. U.K. investigators used data from three large reference laboratories to identify strains with S gene target failure (SGTF; 90% of which were the B.1.1.7 variant), and non-SGTF strains. Baseline demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes were assessed by SGTF status.

Between November 2020 and January 2021, data on 839,278 patients were collected, of whom 70% were infected with an SGTF strain. These patients were significantly more likely to be hospitalized within 14…

Reviewing Author

Hana M. El Sahly, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Hana M. El Sahly, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Does SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 Put People in the Hospital?

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Reviewing Author