THE mutated version of coronavirus that has emerged in southern England may more easily infect children than its forebear, scientists have warned.

Although analysis is still ongoing, experts say the current data indicates the new UK variant, named B117, may spread more easily between youngsters than other strains.

The latest estimates say that the B117 coronavirus variant could be between 50% to 70% more transmissible than the old virus variant.

However, the UK Government has told the World Health Organisation that developed vaccines will still work.

Professor Neil Ferguson, a scientist on the Government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats advisory group (NervTag), said that during the second lockdown in England there was an age shift in the distribution of the virus.

Speaking at a Science Media Centre press briefing, Ferguson, from Imperial College London, said: "There is a hint that it has a higher propensity to infect children that may perhaps explain some of the differences, but we haven't established any sort of causality on that but we can see that in the data."

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He added: "What we've seen is, during the lockdown in England we saw a general distribution of the virus towards children, and that was true in the variant and the non-variant, and it is what we would expect, given that we had locked down which reduced adult contact but schools were still open.

"But what we've seen over the course of a five or six-week period is consistently the proportion of pillar two cases for the variant in under-15s was statistically significantly higher than the non-variant virus.

"We are still investigating the significance of that."

Ferguson (below) continued: "This is a hypothesis at the moment - it's not been proven.

"But if it were true, then this might explain a significant proportion, maybe even the majority, of the transmission increase seen.

"But a lot more work needs to be done to actually explore this in more detail."

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But NervTag member Professor Wendy Barclay, head of the department of infectious disease, Imperial College London, urged caution about what is said regarding spread among children.

She said: "We are not saying that this is a virus which specifically attacks children. We know that SARS-CoV-2, as it emerged as a virus, was not as efficient in infecting children as it was adults, and there are many hypotheses about that.

"And again, if the [new] virus is having an easier time of finding an entrance cell then that would put children on a more level playing field."

She added: "Therefore children are equally susceptible perhaps to this virus as adults, and therefore given their mixing patterns, you would expect to see more children being infected.

"It's not just the viruses specifically targeting them, but it's just that it's now less inhibited, if you like, to get into the children."

Asked whether the new variant may become the dominant one in the UK, Ferguson said: "I think it's highly likely to, from the trends we've seen so far, and how it's spread in the areas which got infected first.

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"Of course making predictions is a dangerous thing."

Fears surrounding the B117 virus have already caused a swathe of countries around the world, including many in the EU, to ban travellers from the UK.

Another coronavirus variant, named 501.V2, has also been discovered in South Africa.

This 501.V2 strain contains a higher viral load and seems to impact on young people more seriously than other strains.

South African scientists have said that 501.V2 may be responsible for the country's second wave, and nations including Germany and Switzerland have banned travel from the nation.

South Africa's health minister, Zweli Mkhize, announced the new strain after gathering genetic examples from across the country.