A new coronavirus variant discovered in the UK is now making its rounds in the US, with the B.1.1.7 variant recently identified in New York in a man who has no recent travel history.
The variant is said to be more transmissible than COVID-19, but from now on it will no longer be considered virulent or resistant to vaccines and treatment. That said, a new study indicates who is most at risk of acquiring B.1.1.7: People under 20 years of age.
The study, conducted by researchers from Imperial College London and others, and not yet peer-reviewed, found that those younger than 20 years were more likely to have a higher percentage of B.1.1 .7 cases – or what is identified in the study as the “Variant of Concern” or VOC.
Available data indicate “a shift in the age composition of reported cases, with a greater proportion among 20-year-olds among reported VOCs than non-VOC cases,” according to the study.
However, the researchers said that it was too early to determine the ‘mechanism behind this change’, pointing out that it could be partly influenced by ‘the distribution of the variants that coincided with a period of lock-in,’ but schools were open. ‘
“Further research is underway on the specific nature of any changes in the effects of the virus on this age group,” a press release on the findings noted.
Unlike COVID-19, the B.1.1.7 may be more likely to infect children, suggests the study which expressed concern in December by Professor Neil Ferguson, a scientist at Imperial College London and a study- author.
At the time, Ferguson warned that early analyzes “indicate that it has a greater tendency to infect children.”
“If it were true, it could explain a significant part, perhaps even the majority, of the increase in broadcasting,” he added, according to the BBC.
The Imperial College London study also estimated the reproduction number (R0) of the new variant at between 1.4 and 1.8.
“These analyzes, which have informed the UK Government’s planning in recent weeks, show that the new worrying variant, B.1.1.7, has significantly higher transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses that spread, “Ferguson said in a statement. statement. “This will complicate control and further emphasize the urgency of vaccination as soon as possible.”
“All viruses develop and very rarely will a virus change in a way that requires us to reevaluate public health policy,” said Dr. Erik Volz, a scientist at Imperial College London, and one of the study’s authors, said in a statement. “We find overwhelming evidence of a change in the transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant that should be taken into account when planning our COVID-19 response in the new year.”
Foxla’s Kayla Rivas contributed to this report.