Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has said in a statement that up to 75% of all new COVID cases in the UK are a result of the super spreading Indian variant.
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Growing concern
With freedom day less than four weeks away, concerns are rapidly growing from medical experts and members of the public as to whether or not the UK will regain full freedom on 21 June. The Health Secretary explained:
The latest estimates are that more than half and potentially as many as three-quarters of all new cases are now of this variant. As we set out our road map we always expected cases to rise, we must remain vigilant.
Recent data from Public Health England has revealed that a total of 6,959 cases of the strain have been detected thus far—a figure that has almost doubled from 3,535 this time seven days ago.
The ravaging variant has been found in 252 local authorities in England alone meaning that only 48 of the countries local authorities have yet to be touched by it. As it makes its way to reach nearly every corner of the country, Mr. Hancock said that the only way to contain the virus is to make sure that hospitalisations and deaths remain low despite an upsurge in new daily infections:
The aim, of course, is to break the link to hospitalisations and deaths so that cases alone no longer require stringent restrictions on people's lives. The increase in cases remains focused in hotspots and we are doing all we can to tackle this variant wherever it flares up.
Massive testing is key in protecting us
He also provided some relief when explaining that testing capacities have made it possible to slow down the spread of the South Asian mutation especially when compared to the skyrocketing surge in deaths currently happening in India. He said:
Over the past six months we now have built a huge testing capacity at our disposal and we are using this to surge testing into the eight hotspot areas and other places where the cases are lower but rising.
Adding that:
In the hotspot areas we are surging vaccines, too, for those who are eligible, in Bolton for instance we have done 17,147 vaccinations in the last week.
