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.