New Iota strain increases mortality by 60%

The Iota (B.1.526) strain detected in New York raises mortality by an average of 60% and by 82% among people aged 65 to 74.

Report informs, citing Russian media, that it follows from the preprint of the research carried out by the scientists from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

The study covers the period from November 2020 until January 2021. The presumed speed of the coronavirus transmission in that New York region where the Iota strain was detected was always higher than in other places and was growing steadily. In general, its transmission rate is 15-25% more than previously circulating variants.