SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7, with increased transmissibility, was identified in the UK in October 2020.
•
We report our observations of B.1.1.7 in patients admitted to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), one of the largest tertiary referral centres in the UK.
•
B1.1.7 was observed to affect patients of younger age, led to increased admission to critical care with longer stay but the association wasn't statistically significant.
•
Significantly more patients presented with a cough (odds ratio of 2.19; p = 0.0443) Increased coughing could be associated with increased transmissibility and nosocomial infections.
•
Importantly, UHB have seen more outbreaks within the acute setting in January 2021 when the new variant became the dominant strain.
•
Real time whole genome sequencing will be useful to rapidly identify new variants within the hospital setting to facilitate appropriate patient management.