Scientists: Britain’s New ‘Corona’ Strain Could More Infect Children

Scientists said on Monday that a new strain of the Corona virus is spreading rapidly in Britain, with mutations that may mean that children are just as susceptible to infection with this strain as adults, unlike previous strains of the virus.

Scientists from the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Threats Advisory Group who are tracking the new strain said in a statement to reporters about the latest results, that it is fast becoming the dominant strain in southern Britain and may also spread. quickly across the country.

Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Oxford and chair of the advisory group, said: “We are now very confident that this strain already has a higher transmission characteristic compared to other strains of the virus in the UK.” .

Neil Ferguson, professor and epidemiologist and infectious disease at London Imperial College and a member of the advisory group, noted that there are indications that it has a greater propensity to infect children. We need to collect more data to see how it performs. “

Among the mutations in the new strain are changes in the way it enters human cells that may mean that “children may also be susceptible to infection with this virus in adulthood,” said Wendy Barclay, another professor at the Advisory Group and specialist in virology of London Imperial College. .

“So we are expected to see more infected children,” he said.