DM Monitoring
LONDON: The Delta variant of the coronavirus is estimated to be 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant that caused the last wave of infections in the UK, Britain’s Health Secretary says. But people who have received two doses of vaccine should be equally protected against either variant, he added.
“That figure, around 40 per cent more transmissible, is indeed the latest advice I have,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told media.
The Delta variant, also known as the Indian variant, is now the dominant strain in the UK, according to Public Health England figures. It was the Alpha variant, previously known as the Kent variant, that forced the UK into lockdown in January.
The Delta variant is the same strain detected in Melbourne, but it has not been linked to the rest of Victoria’s outbreak.
Mr Hancock said the 40 per cent figure came from the government body of scientific advisors, SAGE.
Concerns are mounting over whether the emergence of the Delta variant threatens the UK government’s provisional June 21 deadline for lifting virus restrictions.
