Is it true that Covid-19 (204 or 20C) is very dangerous and lethal? Or is someone playing on uninformed fear?

Received via WhatsApp.

This is the discovery of a new strain of covid 19 ( 204 or 20C ) in France 🇫🇷!
The expert said it is a mutation of this UK’s covid 501 breed which is v dangerous n lethal!!
More difficult to trace n extremely deadly as it attacks the lungs directly n leaving no trace at the nostrils like the conventional covid 19 !!
Most patients re dead by the time they re diagnosed 😰😰!!
While the world is still struggling to cope wth the production of vaccine , the death toll has almost surpassed the 2 million mark n has infected a hundred million of people worldwide!!
Pray that this new breed won’t come to visit Asia countries yet 😰😰😵😵!!

2) Good thing is that so far, the “initial analyses of this new variant doesn’t suggest either increased severity or increased transmissibility”.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

4) Here is a translation of the French govt warning: “A nosocomial cluster of SARS-CoV2 infections has been monitored for several weeks by ARS Bretagne with cases also detected in community settings. https://t.co/VC4yalL7Rr
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

6) “The molecular analysis carried out by the CNR de Pasteur reveals a new variant (derived from the 20C clade) carrying nine mutations in the region encoding the S protein but also in other viral regions.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

8) “Additional investigations are also underway to assess the impact of these mutations on the transmissibility, severity and possible risk of immune escape of this new variant.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

10) In view of the possible failure of the biological diagnosis on nasopharyngeal samples, specific action to be taken must be implemented.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

12) The letter from the French health minister goes on with other precautions. But it is pretty worrisome that they’ve been tracking this mystery for a few weeks and finally realized it is COVID.

Honestly, if this variant happened elsewhere, I doubt Florida would even notice.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

14) This is not a new phenomenon. Technically our PCR shortcut test for the #B117 relies partially on the same phenomenon— where the 69-70 deletion mutation in the spike protein gene causes partial signal drop out in the TF taqpath PCR test. This is how we track B117 mostly. pic.twitter.com/lz2erLPMxN
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

16) But wanna know what works against such a variant? It’s easy…

Masks. Ventilation. Vaccination.

They still work—even without testing. This is why mitigation measures have to stay in place for a while even after vaccination.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

18) Someone asked if the new variant has an official name yet. Not sure, but it’s from the 20C lineage. I guess it’s the France-Bretagne (Brittany) variant for now.

Note—not that Britney. pic.twitter.com/4jBLP46Xiu
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021

19) This PCR test evading French variant is all the more reason we need more rapid antigen tests, like the winners of the @xprize @OpenCoViDScreen initiative to help get more rapid tests developed. Thx @jhuber. pic.twitter.com/5jkaO6uWAe
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 16, 2021