Coronavirus: Delta variant fuels sharp rise in cases as Britain’s lockdown ‘freedom day’ decision looms

The number of confirmed cases of the strain tripled in a week to 42,323

The worrying trend has led ministers to discuss options including delays ranging from nine days to a month for the planned reopening on June 21

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A bus is covered in anti-vaccine stickers near Trafalgar Square in London. Photo: PA via AP

Published: 9:08pm, 11 Jun 2021

UK infections of Covid-19 continued to rise, posing a dilemma for Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of a crunch decision on Monday on whether to proceed with the final stage of reopening the economy later this month.

Data released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics showed an estimated 1 in 560 people in England had the virus in the week to June 4, up from 1 in 640 a week earlier and 1 in 1,340 in the week through May 8.

The month-long rising trend has been fuelled by the faster-spreading Delta variant of the virus first identified in India, which now accounts for more than 90 per cent of infections in the UK. The number of confirmed cases of the strain tripled in a week to 42,323, Public Health England said on Friday.

The growing numbers have led ministers to discuss options including delays ranging from nine days to a month for the planned reopening on June 21, and allowing some relaxations to go ahead and others not.

“Let’s not squander those hard-fought gains” in the fight against the virus, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC radio on Friday. “The virus hasn’t gone away, it will attempt to survive by mutating.”

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