The new strain of coronavirus more easily penetrates into the body of children, according to the Daily Mail, citing experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
It is noted that the coronavirus is more often detected in schoolchildren, this is the most frequent part of the population in terms of infection.
According to Professor Wendy Barclay, the previous variant of the coronavirus found it more difficult to bind to the ACE2 receptor and enter cells. As a result, adults with more ACE2 in their nose and throat became an easier target for coronavirus, and children became infected less often, she explained.
“It is easier for a new variant of the virus to do this, and therefore children can be as susceptible to this virus as adults,” the expert said in the publication.
This factor, in her opinion, may be the main reason for the faster spread of the new strain of coronavirus.
Earlier on December 27, Rospotrebnadzor announced the absence in Russia of the coronavirus strain detected in the UK.
A mutated variant of the coronavirus was discovered in the UK on December 14. It is 56% more infectious than the original, which in the future will lead to an increase in the number of patients in hospitals, said scientists from the Center for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases at the London School.
The UK’s Advisory Board on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats confirmed that the variant of the coronavirus identified in the country is spreading at a faster rate and requires even more caution from the population. Although the new strain is tentatively estimated to be 70% more infectious than usual, there is nothing to suggest that it is more dangerous in terms of death or hospitalization.
Due to the discovery of a new strain of COVID-19, air traffic with the UK was suspended by more than 35 countries, including Russia.
All relevant information on the situation with the coronavirus is available on the websites of stopcoronavirus.rf and accessvsem.rf, as well as by the hashtag #WeV Together. Coronavirus hotline: 8-800-2000-112.