How much more contagious is the new strain of COVID B117 detected in the UK

As countries around the world grapple with the challenges of rolling out urgently needed COVID-19 vaccines, health authorities are now facing another major hurdle: a more contagious form of coronavirus.

The newly-identified variant, first recognised in England in late September, has spread to at least 45 countries and prompted lockdowns and new restrictions across Australia.

Initially, it was unclear whether the high number of cases of the variant in the UK were because it was more transmissible or because it emerged in an area where there was a high spread of COVID-19.

But evidence of the variant being more contagious is mounting, with the UK’s Office for National Statistics reporting that it now accounts for more than 60 per cent of…