more COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 population than in any other country. The U.K. also has the highest daily mortality rate in the world.
One of many factors contributing to the country’s exceptionally high death rate may be the emergence of a new, more contagious variant of the virus, first identified in September 2020 in Kent, southeast England.The variant, officially known as B.1.1.7, has become the dominant variant of the virus in the U.K.
and has spread to many other countries.Stay informed with live updates on the current COVID-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.Several studies have found B.1.1.7 to be more transmissible than older variants of SARS-CoV-2.