UK reports nearly 3,000 cases of Indian Covid variant

LONDON: Almost 3,000 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been reported in Britain, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

In a statement on Wednesday at the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, Hancock said 2,967 cases of the variant have now been recorded, 28 per cent up from more than 2,300 on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Surge testing and vaccinations will be deployed in the affected areas including Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside, according to the Health Secretary.

The Scottish government is also taking similar steps in Glasgow and Moray, he added.

"What this means in practice is we are putting in place more testing and more testing sites. We are making more vaccinations available to everyone who is eligible." The spread of the Indian variant has raised concerns that England's final step of the roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions scheduled for June 21 might be delayed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers earlier Wednesday that there is "increasing confidence" that the current vaccines will be effective against all variants of the virus, including the Indian strain. (IANS)

Also Read: Bangladesh approves purchase of Covid vaccines from China

Also Watch: