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Matt Hancock PHOTO: Reuters
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In the UK, the number of new infections is rising
The Indian version of the new coronavirus (the so-called Delta variant) is 40% more contagious than the country’s currently dominant Alpha variant, British Health Minister Matt Hancock was quoted as saying by AFP and BTA.
Speaking to the BBC, Hancock cited an expert group advising the government on its fight against the coronavirus.
Despite the increase in the number of new infections, which in recent days has exceeded 5,000 and even 6,000, the number of hospitalizations remains stable, said the British Minister of Health. He noted that most patients with covid admitted to the hospital had not been vaccinated.
The country most severely affected by coronavirus in Europe, with nearly 128,000 deaths related to the new pathogen, Britain has given at least the first dose of vaccine to more than 40 million people. More than 27 million people in the country with a population of about 66 million are already on a second dose.
The proliferation of the Delta variant, first identified in April in India and now dominant in the UK, threatens to lift the last restrictions after a long winter lockdown – something the British hope will happen on June 21, AFP notes.
By that date, about three-fifths of British adults will be fully vaccinated, up from 52 per cent now, the health minister predicted.
According to some British newspapers, the government plans to postpone the lifting of the last restrictions by two weeks. A decision is expected to be made on June 14, AFP notes.
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