New Coronavirus Strain Bigger Threat to Those Under 20: Study
The new coronavirus variant recently discovered in the U.K. is growing quickly, is more transmissible than other forms of the virus and affects people younger than 20 in greater proportions, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by scientists and researchers from several prominent British health and education institutions, found that the new variant has a “substantial transmission advantage,” CNN reported.
The study also said people younger than 20 make up a greater proportion of cases, though researchers haven’t yet determined why that is.
Imperial College London professor Neil Ferguson said the new variant has a “substantially higher transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the U.K.”
Ferguson said because the new variant is more easily transmissible, controlling it will be more difficult and stressed the importance of “rolling out a vaccine as quickly as possible,” CNN reported.
As of Thursday, the U.K. has roughly 2.5 million coronavirus cases and 74,000 virus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University tracker.
