UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday delayed his plans of easing the final stage of lockdown restrictions by a month. The decision was taken in view to contain the highly transmissible Delta variant and announcing plans to use the extra time to speed up vaccination. He said, "I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer. The removal of restrictions would now take place on 19 July, instead of 21 June as previously hoped."
On Sunday, 7490 cases of coronavirus registered in Britain, while 8 people also lost their lives. Public Health England (PHE) said that the cases of Delta form (B1.617.2) first identified in India have increased from about 30,000 to 42,323 in a week. At the same time, many health experts had advised for the reopening to be delayed to enable more people to be vaccinated and receive second doses, amid rising cases of the Delta variant. According to the government official, the biggest increase in cases is among younger groups who haven't yet had a vaccine, with the highest case rates in northwest England.
The Delta variant- first identified in India, is highly infectious and fast-spreading. It was responsible for the second Covid-19 wave in the country, according to a government study. According to the study of INSACOG and NCDC, the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant has 50% higher transmission rate than Alpha (B.1.17). The risk of breakthrough infections post Covid-19 vaccination is also high. But the scientists found no evidence of the role of the Delta variant in more deaths or the severity of cases not proved. Despite the coronavirus vaccination, the risk of infection with the B.1.617.2 variant remains high. As far as, the risk after vaccination from the alpha variant coronavirus is negligible.