Scientists have begun investigating whether the new variant of the novel coronavirus can spread more easily among children, BBC News reports.
The British government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats advisory group (Nervtag) recently suggested that the new COVID-19 variant could spread easier among children.
In fact, a new study from the U.K. by Imperial College said that the new COVID-19 mutation spreads faster and affects younger people.
An examination of the virus showed “that the Variant of Concern (VOC) has higher transmissibility than non-VOC lineages, even if the VOC has a different latent period or generation time. Available SGTF data indicate a shift in the age composition of reported cases, with a larger share of under 20-year-olds among reported VOC than non-VOC cases.”
Professor Wendy Barclay, from Nervtag and Imperial College London, told BBC News that the new COVID-19 mutation could put children on a ”more level playing field” with adults as far as the virus spreading. But more research needs to be done.
“Therefore children are equally susceptible, perhaps, to this virus as adults, and therefore given their mixing patterns, you would expect to see more children being infected.”