The new coronavirus variant spreading rapidly in England does not appear to cause more serious illness, according to the first matched study of people infected with the new B.1.1.7 strain against those with other variants.

Susan Hopkins, senior medical adviser to Public Health England, which carried out the research, said it “suggests that the new variant does not cause more severe disease or increased mortality but we are continuing our investigations to understand this better”.

Scientists have scrambled to learn more about the new coronavirus variant that devastated the Christmas plans of millions of people in Britain and has left the UK largely isolated from the rest of the world, with travel bans imposed by other countries. The new strain was detected for the first time in the US on Tuesday.