The new variant of SARS-CoV-2, which is believed to have originated in the UK, is growing rapidly and affecting a greater proportion of people under the age of 20, according to a study. A collaborative team of researchers from Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, Public Health England, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Birmingham and the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium assessed the relationship between transmission and frequency of the new variant in relation to a period of time.
“There is a consensus among all the analyzes that VOC (the concern variant or new variant) has a substantial transmission advantage,” said the study.
According to the study, the reproduction number of the new variant is currently between 1.4 and 1.8. He said that the estimated difference between the number of reproduction of the mutation is 0.4 to 0.7 greater compared to other variants of the virus. The reproduction number reflects the number of people expected to be infected by a single individual in a homogeneous population.
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The study also found that individuals under the age of 20 represent a higher proportion of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infected with the new variant. However, the researchers said it was too early to determine the mechanism behind this change. They suggested it may be partly because the blockade was in place in some places, but schools were open.
“These analyzes, which informed the UK government’s planning in recent weeks, show that the new variant of concern, B.1.1.7, has substantially higher transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the Kingdom Kingdom, ”Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London said in a statement.
Dr. Erik Volz, co-author of the study, said that very rarely does a virus change in a way that requires a reassessment of public health policies. Volz added that there is overwhelming evidence of a change in the transmissibility of the new variant that must be taken into account when planning Covid-19’s response in the new year.