“Even those between 5 and 11 could die (from COVID-19),” Akihiko Saito, a professor at Niigata University who is also an executive board member at the JPS, said at an online news conference.

The case underscores the variants’ ability to spread more easily than the initial coronavirus that was prevalent last year, according to Akihiko Saito, professor of pediatrics at Niigata ...