UK records highest daily Covid-19 infections in a month as Indian variant cases rise

BRITAIN has reported highest daily coronavirus infections in a month as cases of the Indian variant have trebled in a week.

On Thursday (20), 2,874 new cases were reported, the highest since April 19. However, the UK cases of the variant first found in India have risen to 3,424, up by 2,111 compared to figures released last week, Public Health England said.

With the overall infections rate remaining low, the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 have fallen below 900 for the first time since September. A further deaths of seven people on Thursday (20) within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, has brought the UK total to 127,701.

However, the spread of B.1.617.2 variant threatens to derail prime minister Boris Johnson's plan to fully reopen the economy on June 21.

“PHE will continue to monitor all variants closely, paying particular attention to the impact on hospitalisations and deaths which will help us to understand the protective effects of the vaccine,” Meera Chand, Covid-19 Incident Director at PHE was quoted as saying.

The government remains optimistic and said it was “still too early” to determine whether the Indian variant could delay unlocking on June 21.

On Wednesday, England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said in a press conference that the country was in a “straight race” to vaccinate its population in order to outrun the threat of the Indian variant.