ROME (AP) — Italian health officials say the variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain is prevalent among the country’s infected schoolchildren and warn that the curve of contagion is showing signs of “robust” uptick. Health Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters on Tuesday that the variant has “particular penetration among the youngest age group” of the population, prompting Premier Mario Draghi’s new government to issue stricter directives aimed at containing transmission linked to schools. A top government health official, Silvio Brusaferro, said that as of analyses of cases on Feb. 18, 54% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy involved that variant. But, said Brusaferro, “if measured today surely the percentage would be higher. ”
