The race for time in Britain has begun as the country experiences the third wave of coronavirus infections triggered by a delta variant found only in India, experts say. Britain is currently facing fierce competition for vaccines against the delta variant of the virus, said Professor Adam Finn, advisor to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JVCI) on Saturday. Britain is experiencing the third wave of a transmissible delta variant, experts advising the government on its vaccination program said on Saturday.
On Friday, the number of new coronavirus infections in the UK hit nearly two-month highs after British regulators approved the use of a single dose of the Johnson’Johnson vaccine. Government data show that 4.1 million people in the country have received at least one dose, while another 30 million have been vaccinated. A senior expert from the British Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) warned on Sunday that the region is nearing a third wave of COVID-19 infections as the highly transmitted variant discovered in India continues to spread.
The rise has led scientists to claim that Britain is in the midst of the third wave of pandemics. The number of cases continues to remain well below the daily high of 70,000 recorded in mid-January, the peak of the second wave, but the upward trend raises questions about the UK government plans to lift remaining social restrictions on 21 June. The announcement came amid growing speculation that a new variant of the virus identified in India could cause the government to delay its planned relaxation of lockdown restrictions in England.
This comes as the UK recorded another 10,476 COVID-19 cases on Friday, showing a steady increase in COVID-19 number in recent weeks. The latest increase pushed the number back above 10,000 for the first time since late February. On Friday, for the first time in four months, the UK recorded 11,007 new cases of Covid 19 in the 24 hours after the outbreak.
The reason for concern is the increasing number of new cases of the B16172 variant which is identified as a delta variant in India and increases the risk of hospitalization by up to 27-fold, according to Public Health England. The number of hospital cases has doubled and most people needing treatment have not had a vaccine. The rise in the UK has been driven by the youngest age group invited to vaccinate since the vaccination was extended to people under 18.
It is a worrying time for many people involved in fighting the pandemic COVID 19, preventing the spread of the new variant, and trying to get as many people vaccinated as possible. The British government has come under fire for not acting quickly enough to restrict flights out of India after hesitating.
According to experts, a new variant of COVID-19, reported in mid-December, is blamed for the serious situation in England. A small third wave of larger variants has now been affected and imported into the UK.
On Thursday the Prime Minister warned that a new variant could trigger the third wave and cause more suffering than in January. Scientists talk of the possibility of a “third wave” in the summer when restrictions are lifted. Sir David King, the former Government Scientific Advisor and chairman of the Independent SAGE Group and former Chief of Science Sir David King, reported Sky News on Monday morning that the latest Covid 19 figures were evidence that another wave was coming out.
Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure to delay the final easing of UK blockade restrictions until 21 June amid growing concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of Coronavirus which has been detected in India. A new strain of COVID-19 has led to an increase in cases in the north-western of England and parts of the Midlands and London in May and the first week of June, raising fears that Johnson will push ahead with his roadmap to end the preparedness with potentially catastrophic consequences. A steady rise in the numbers in recent weeks has led British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to delay plans to end Monday’s lockdown by four weeks to July 19, earlier than expected.
