Dozens of confirmed cases of the Indian variant of the coronavirus have been recorded in Barnet, new figures reveal.
The Covid-19 mutation that originated in India – now known as the Delta variant – is now considered dominant in the UK, with evidence suggesting it may be more dangerous than the Kent variation.
Figures released by Public Health England show that 39 cases of the Delta variant have been recorded at Barnet as of June 2.
They are part of at least 1,685 VOC-21APR-02 mutation cases in London – the second worst affected region of England’s nine regions.
The Northwest – where the Bolton and Blackburn variant hotspots are located – continues to have the highest numbers identified.
A total of 12,431 cases of the Delta variant had been confirmed in the UK as of June 2, up 79% from the previous week’s total of 6,959.
Of these, 10,797 (87%) were in England, 1,511 (12%) in Scotland, 97 in Wales and 26 in Northern Ireland.
A PHE risk assessment found that the vaccines were less effective against the strain compared to the Kent mutation – or Alpha variant.
The results also suggest that people are at greater risk of being hospitalized if they are infected with the Delta variant, although PHE warned that “more data is needed to be more confident in this finding.”
Dr Jenny Harries, Managing Director of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “With this variant now dominant across the UK, it remains essential that we all continue to exercise the greatest possible caution.
“The way to tackle the variants is to tackle the transmission of Covid-19 as a whole.
“Work from home where you can and practice ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ anytime.
“If you are eligible and you haven’t already, please show up for the shot and make sure you get your second shot. It will save lives. ”
PHE figures show that more than half of those found with the Indian strain were not vaccinated.
From February 1 to May 31, 9,427 cases of the Delta variant were recorded in England, including 5,172 in unvaccinated people.
Of the 137 cases that resulted in hospitalization, only seven involved people who received both doses of the vaccine.
Another 24 patients were patients who had received their first dose more than three weeks previously, and 90 were patients who had not received any dose.
Some 17 people died during the same period with the Delta variant, two of whom had received both doses of the vaccine and 11 were unvaccinated.
The latest PHE data also suggests that there have been 97 confirmed outbreaks of Covid-19 in schools that have had at least one variant case linked to them in the past four-week period – the equivalent of about one school on 250.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modeling was instrumental in the UK’s March 2020 lockdown, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson was facing a “very difficult” call about whether to abandon the restrictions on June 21.
On BBC Radio 4’s Today program, given the “more negative direction” of the data, a cautious approach is needed as the government balances potential risks with a desire for normalcy.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-04 15:05:32
