Local research has found that the omicron variant of COVID-19 is more than five times as transmissible among children and adolescents than previous variants of the virus.

The findings by Chun June-young, an infectious disease specialist at the National Cancer Center, and a team led by Seoul National University statistics department professor Kim Yong-dae were published in the international journal BMC Medicine last Wednesday.

The research showed that the rate of transmission of the virus for those aged ten to 15 climbed five-point-28 times during the omicron wave from before the previous delta variant became a dominant strain, and those aged 15 to 19 also saw the rate rise about five times.

The transmission rate among those aged 50 and older, however, doubled during the aforementioned period, while the rate for those aged 75 and older increased slightly to one-point-12 times.

When compared from the delta wave, omicron’s contagion pace rose nearly three times for those aged 10 to 19, but slowed for those aged 75 and older to zero-point-93 times.