Delta COVID variant 60 percent more transmissible, UK gov’t says

The variant first identified in India currently accounts for more than 90 percent of Britain’s new COVID-19 cases.

Health authorities in Britain have said the new Delta coronavirus variant is 60 percent more transmissible in households than the previous dominant Alpha variant that forced the United Kingdom to lock down in January. The Delta variant, which first emerged in India, has caused a rise in cases in Britain, prompting questions about whether physical distancing restrictions will be lifted as planned from June 21. New research on Friday from Public Health England “suggests that the Delta variant is associated with an approximately 60 percent increased risk of household transmission” compared with the Alpha variant first identified in southeast England.