Effect of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 on children and young people The clinical impact of the new SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1•1.7 on children and young people (aged 18 years or younger) regarding acute respiratory COVID-19 is yet to be fully defined. Media reports of increases in admissions to hospital and more serious illness in children and young people have resulted in public confusion and implicated the B.1.1.7 variant as a more pathogenic infection within this group. 1,2 This uncertainty has necessitated a public statement from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. 3

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