The government said the new variant could also be 30-40 percent more deadly, although it stressed the assessment relied on sparse data.

British experts now say the variant that first emerged in the UK last September could be both more transmissible and potentially deadlier

Why scientists think UK variant could be more deadly

The new variant is different from those first found in Britain and South Africa, although the three of them share some common mutation

Pedestrians wearing protective masks, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, make their way at Ginza shopping district which closed to cars on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan, January 10, 2021.

Why scientists think UK variant could be more deadly

New coronavirus variant found in travellers from Brazil: Japan government

# new variant

Why scientists think UK variant could be more deadly

New coronavirus variant found in travellers from Brazil: Japan government