London, United Kingdom:
The Delta variant of the coronavirus is estimated to be 40 % more transmissible than the Alpha variant that brought on the last wave of infections in the UK, Britain’s wellness minister stated Sunday.
But men and women who have received two doses of vaccine, must be equally protected against either variant, he added.
“That figure, around 40 percent more transmissible, is indeed the latest advice I have,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News.
The Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the UK, according to Public Health England figures.
It was the Alpha variant, previously recognized as the Kent variant, that forced the UK into lockdown in January.
Hancock stated the 40 % figure came from the government body of scientific advisors, SAGE.
Concerns are mounting more than irrespective of whether the emergence of the Delta variant threatens the government’s provisional June 21 deadline for lifting virus restrictions.
Hancock acknowledged that the Delta variant “does make the calculation more difficult for June 21”.
“We’ll look at the data for another week and then make a judgement,” he told the BBC on Sunday, stressing that the government was “absolutely open” to delaying the lifting of restrictions.
– Double vaccinations helpful –
The minister nonetheless stressed that these who have had two doses of vaccine must be protected against illness from the Delta variant.
Public Health England stated last month that study showed double vaccination was similarly helpful against each the Kent and Delta variants.
“The best scientific advice I have at this stage is that, after one jab, it’s not quite as effective against the new Delta variant, but after both jabs, it is,” Hancock told the BBC.
So far hospitalisations are “broadly flat”, with extremely couple of hospitalised right after getting each vaccine doses, he added.
The UK has so far provided more than 27 million men and women two doses — more than 50 % of adults — even though more than 40 million have had one dose.
Hancock stated the government was “taking clinical advice” on irrespective of whether to extend the vaccination programme to children more than 12, who are believed to be playing a main function in spreading the virus. But this would not be mandatory, he added.