Variant Cases Doubled In The Space Of One Week

Total COVID cases have been above three thousand a day for the past six days; but Public Health England announced on Thursday that delta variant cases had doubled in the space of a week to nearly seven thousand, Talktokemi report.

These two maps shows how the Indian coronavirus variant – renamed the 'delta' variant by the World Health Organization - has spread in the last three weeks.

The B1.617.2 strain has brought a surge of new cases in areas of England, especially the North West, Midlands and South East.

Recent data suggests it could be 66% more transmissible than the Kent, or 'alpha' variant, which wreaked havoc across the UK over the winter.

The variant's spread has cast doubt over whether planned lockdown lifting on 21 June can go ahead as planned and has sparked fears of an emerging third wave.

These two maps shows how the Indian coronavirus variant – renamed the 'delta' variant by the World Health Organization - has spread in the last three weeks.

According to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, 148 local authority areas in England have now recorded five or more delta variant cases, compared to 38 weeks ago.

The latest figures from the organisation show a recorded total of 3019 cases in the week leading up to 22 May - up from 380 three weeks earlier.

The left-hand map above shows where the delta variant cases were recorded on 1 May.

This compares to the map below showing thousands more recorded cases by 22 May.

The Sanger Institute's findings are based on community spread so tests from recent travellers or special studies are excluded from the data.

These two maps shows how the Indian coronavirus variant – renamed the 'delta' variant by the World Health Organization - has spread in the last three weeks.

According to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, 148 local authority areas in England have now recorded five or more delta variant cases, compared to 38 weeks ago.

The latest figures from the organisation show a recorded total of 3019 cases in the week leading up to 22 May - up from 380 three weeks earlier.

The left-hand map above shows where the delta variant cases were recorded on 1 May.

This compares to the map below showing thousands more recorded cases by 22 May.

The Sanger Institute's findings are based on community spread so tests from recent travellers or special studies are excluded from the data.

The variant has sparked a dispute over whether or not the government should lift all lockdown restrictions in three weeks' time.

Bolton has seen by far the most delta variant cases in England, reporting 2060 in total, according to the institute's findings.

The worst hit areas are:

 

Bolton, 2060 

Blackburn with Darwen, 672 

Bedford, 536 

Leicester, 280 

Manchester, 195