Here's why schools are on alert over new coronavirus variants

As new variants of the coronavirus pop up around the world, public health experts are looking at one particular group of people that might be vulnerable to future outbreaks: School children.

There are no indications that any of the new Covid-19 variants causes more serious disease in children and it remains extremely rare for them to become seriously ill. But outbreaks of the strain of the virus first found in India among British children have sparked some worries about the variant's spread in schools. The UK outbreaks are still relatively small, but they serve as a cautionary tale for countries across the world that are returning to in-person education.