British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there's now evidence to suggest the new coronavirus variant, first detected in the UK is not only more contagious but more deadly as well.

Mutation has now spread to more than 60 countries, and Britain itself is struggling to bring infections under control.

It's a relentless nightmare for healthcare workers across the UK The shifts air physically and emotionally grueling countless lives cannot be saved.

Many more people have been hospitalized than during the first peak last April.

On the coronavirus variant known as B 117 is playing a significant role in the suffering, scientists say it's almost certainly Mawr infectious, and now government health advisers believe it could be more deadly, though they cautioned the assessments based on sparse data.

We've been informed today that in addition to spreading Mawr quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant, the variant that was first identified in London and the Southeast may be associated with a higher degree off mortality.

The UK has one of the highest death rates from covert in the world.

Almost 100,000 people have lost their lives with ethnic minorities disproportionately affected.

Those groups are also more likely to refuse vaccinations when offered them.

So authorities, air trying to tackle mistrust on disinformation, must have joined the campaign to persuade skeptical Muslims.

And I think that the key message there is that vaccination is safe, vaccination is effective and the vaccination is halal and permissible under under all sort of rulings of the religion.

The UK has been making good progress with inoculations administering jobs to a larger percentage of its population than any other European country.

But the government says restrictions won't be eased until infections have dropped on its.

Sure the vaccination program is working.

Our correspondent being at Mouse is standing by for us in London big.

These new findings likely to change the U.

K's response to the pandemic.

This is the question being asked Rebecca.

But for the moment, the answer from the prime minister is no, because the UK is already in a pretty strict locked down.

I live in central London.

The streets here are really mostly empty because people are not coming into office is toe work.

They are staying at home.

They're working from home if they can.

The schools are closed.

Only essential workers concerned there, the Children to school.

So they say it is already pretty strict, however.

Also, we know from from data that the mobility is still a little bit higher than it used to be in the first lock down.

So so questions keeping, asked exactly who eyes more mobile?

And is that really is it really necessary?

And, for example, finds are debated.

Should there be more fines or more stricter enforcement off the lock down rules?

What about travel restrictions?

Could this thes findings lead to tougher border restrictions, both in both directions?

Definitely.

That's a debate that's very much being head at the moment, not only in the UK but also in the U.

Some countries have already banned flights and ferries from the UK like the Netherlands, for example.

So this is countries trying to protect themselves against new variants.

So this new variant is now dominant in the U.

K.

And other European countries.

They're hoping that they can keep it at bay because it is more transmissible, and now it seems also possibly more deadly.

Three UK itself.

They also wants to protect itself because the inoculation program is pretty successful here.

So far, over 7% off the population have already received a first does.

So.

Experts medical experts are hoping that this will have an effect on the UK does also debate whether there should be border closures in order to protect the U.

K from other variants across the world.

Indeed, well, the you would be right to be concerned because Europe's coronavirus vaccination rollout is facing a bit of a setback, with drugmaker AstraZeneca telling the European Commission it won't be able to deliver the agreed volumes of its covert 19 vaccine within the agreed timeframe.

AstraZeneca, which developed its vaccine with Oxford University, said it would have to cut initial deliveries to the EU by 60%.

The company was expected to supply around 80 million doses by the end of March.

It's blaming the reduction on production problems at a factory in Belgium.

Bigger, the U hasn't even approved the vaccine yet and the company says the delay will be temporary.

How much of a setback is this?

Well across the UK and also across across the you that there is a NAB salute race against time because we know that obviously vaccination did the the availability off All this vaccine is for the moment, is the problem really across the world?

So?

So countries air basically scrambling for for vaccines We know that in the UK there is a target Thio until mid February.

Thio inoculate, at least with one, does the most vulnerable groups off the population.

But also government ministers admit it's pretty tight and this is a situation that's replicated across the you.

Really?

When I'm being at mass speaking to us from London, thanks very much.