Research conducted by scientists at Imperial College London appears to show that the new coronavirus mutation currently sweeping through the UK and detected in various parts of the world is indeed far more contagious than the previous dominant strain of the virus.
According to a report in The Guardian, the R-number of the mutation (reflecting how contagious it is) seems to be between 1.4 and 1.8 times greater than the previous dominant strain. Furthermore, scientists believe that the mutation has a more severe impact on people younger than 20 who contract it.