A highly contagious variant of COVID-19, first identified in Britain, does not cause more severe disease in hospitalized patients, according to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Monday.

The strain, known as B.1.1.7, was identified in Britain late last year and has become the most common strain in the United States, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also the dominant viral strain across much of Europe, and previous studies had shown it was linked to a higher likelihood of death than normal variants.

The study analyzed a group of 496 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to British hospitals in November and December last year, comparing outcomes in patients infected with B.1.1.7 or other variants. The researchers found no difference in risks of severe disease, death, or other clinical outcomes in patients with B.1.1.7 and other variants.

"Our data, within the context and limitations of a real-world study, provide initial reassurance that severity in hospitalized patients with B.1.1.7 is not markedly different from severity in those without," the researchers said in the study.

"The finding that lineage B.1.1.7 infection did not confer an increased risk of severe disease and mortality in this high-risk cohort is reassuring but requires further confirmation in larger studies," said the experts, who were not involved in the research.

A separate study published in The Lancet Public Health medical journal found that vaccines were likely to be effective against the British variant since there was no apparent increase in reinfection rate when compared to non-UK variants.

According to British scientists, the British variant was about 40-70 percent more transmissible than previously dominant variants.

The studies also confirmed the previous findings that B.1.1.7 was more transmissible.

(With input from agencies)