The B.1.617.2 variant first detected in India has been registered in the UK in recent weeks and cases continue to rise. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News there is a “high degree of confidence” in the effectiveness of current vaccines against the variant. However, Mr Hancock said the strain can “spread like wildfire” among unvaccinated people, urging those eligible to accept their vaccine offer.
Mr Hancock also said this week that the Indian variant “is becoming the dominant strain in parts of the country”.
Mr Hancock said on Monday there had been 2,323 confirmed cases of the B.1.617.2 variant in the UK.
That means there has been a 77% increase in confirmed cases of the variant over the past five days, with five or more cases of the variant confirmed in 86 local authorities.
Bolton is currently England’s hotspot for the B.1.617.2 variant, but cases have also been recorded in London in recent weeks.
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As early data suggests that Covid vaccines are effective against the Indian variant, there has been a push to get people to accept the offer of a vaccine in affected areas.
For now, the vaccine is being offered to people in eligible groups, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan has asked ministers to offer vaccines to young people in areas of London affected by the new variant as well.
Mr Khan asked Mr Hancock and Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi “for the flexibility to give young people the vaccine in areas of London affected by this strain”.
The mayor of London told Sky News on Monday: “We say we are nimble in pockets where we know there is a problem. Let’s use these vaccines wisely.
“We know which parts of our city are of concern. In these districts in particular, we should take a hyper-local approach and encourage the youngest, and who should wait a few weeks, to get vaccinated now to prevent this strain from spreading.
However, Downing Street said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said the best way to protect against the new variant was to make sure vulnerable groups get their second dose of the vaccine.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: “This is a decision taken by the JCVI on how best to deploy the vaccines we have, but we have deployed thousands of additional doses to Bolton so that they can do this job of vaccinating people. “
He said: “We want every part of the country to comply with the advice given by JCVI, it is this unified approach that has enabled us to proceed so quickly with our vaccine deployment.”
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This notice was published: 2021-05-17 21:12:00
