The new variant of SARS-CoV-2, believed to originate in the UK, is growing rapidly and affects a higher proportion of people under 20, according to a study. A joint 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 evaluated the relationship between transmission and the frequency of the new variant over time .
“There is a consensus among all analyzes that the VOC (the Variant or Concern or New Variant) has a substantial transmission advantage,” the study said.
According to the research, the reproduction number for the new variant is currently between 1.4 and 1.8. It stated that the estimated difference between the mutation reproduction number is 0.4 to 0.7 higher compared to other variants of the virus. The reproduction number represents the number of people expected to be infected by one person in a homogeneous population.
Also read | California announces the first confirmed case of the new Covid-19 variant
The study also found that individuals under the age of 20 make up for a higher proportion of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infected with the new variant. However, the researchers said it is too early to determine the mechanism behind this change. They suggested that this is partly because the lockdown was in place in some places, but the schools were open.
These analyzes, which have briefed the UK government’s schedule in recent weeks, show that the new form of concern, B.1.1.7, has significantly higher transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the UK Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London said in a statement.
Dr. Erik Volz, a co-author of the study, said a virus will rarely change in such a way that we need to re-evaluate public health policy. Volz added that there is overwhelming evidence of a change in the portability of the new variant that should be taken into account when planning the Covid-19 response in the new year.