Surge Tests, Jab Measures As India-Dominant Covid Variant Spreads In UK

Public Health England (PHE) on Thursday said that its latest analysis shows the number of cases of B1.617.2 variant of COVID-19 has risen from 520 last week to 1,313 cases this week.

The case numbers related to the B1.617.2 variant of COVID-19, first identified in India, have more than doubled within a week in the UK, resulting in further surge testing and enhanced vaccine measures to be deployed in parts of the country where the strain is beginning to spread increasingly rapidly . Public Health England (PHE) said on Thursday that its latest analysis shows the number of cases of the highly transmissible variant first detected in Maharashtra has risen from 520 last week to 1,313 cases this week. Most cases are in the northwest of England, with some in London, and additional measures are being put in place to "rapidly break chains of transmission". UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the health authorities are monitoring the situation very carefully and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary, indicating that the roadmap to lifting all lockdown measures from June 21 may have to be reassessed.