UK Public Health Experts Say Indian Variant Hitting Young People Who Haven't Been Vaccinated

They're warning Irish authorities about the transmissibility of the strain, with over 3,400 cases now confirmed in England

It comes as a new study shows two doses of a vaccine is over 80 percent effective in preventing infection from the variant.

72 cases have been detected in Ireland so far. 

Dr Zubaida Haque, a member of the UK's Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, says the strain is causing outbreaks in schools:

"At the moment, it doesn't appear as though it's causing severe disease among young people. We know young people are slightly more resilient, but that's not the only concern with young people. With young people, we have to think about long COVID. We know that 7% to 8% of primary children have long COVID and actually it's much higher secondary school children."