Are the new strain more harmful to children?

[Lucyandbet]

I keep reading on MN that the new strain is more dangerous to DC but can't actually find any information to confirm this. So are more DC becoming seriously ill because of it or is it still a mild illness for most of them?

I read some technical report that was emphatic in saying that there was zero direct evidence the variant strains were more dangerous to kids; but it did produce more people with symptoms so in theory (if symptoms are a distribution of severity) than there must be some kids more severely affected if they catch new variant than if they caught old variants. But that was highly speculative.

No, it isn't more serious if you catch it.

People are worried becaus it is more contagious, so you are more likely to catch it. Children appear more likely to catch this variant than the previous ones. If lots more people catch it, the hospitals will fill up and hospital staff may catch it (though soon, many will be vaccinated, fingers crossed) then the situation is more dangerous if the ICU beds are full and normal medical procedures and operations are cancelled.