The spread of the Indian COVID-19 strain in the United Kingdom has tripled within the week and may lead to a delay in the ease of lockdown across the nation.
The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has admitted that he is ‘anxious’ about the Indian COVID-19 strain which is rapidly spreading in the UK, DailyMail reported.
The prime minister said, “It is a variant of concern, we are anxious about it. There is a range of things we could do; we want to make sure we grip it.
Johnson has claimed that the government is actively doing all it can to contain the spread of the virus, stressing that the lockdown-easing plan for England on Monday and June 21 were still intact amidst an increase in the Indian COVID-19 strain.
“We want to make sure we take all the prudential, cautious steps now that we could take, so there are meetings going on today to consider exactly what we need to do. There is a range of things we could do, we are ruling nothing out.
“At the moment, I can see nothing that dissuades me from thinking we will be able to go ahead on Monday and indeed on June 21, everywhere,” he revealed on Thursday.
The PM also hinted that the government will carry out door-to-door testing in areas where the virus strain is known to be spreading.
Officially known as B.1.617, the COVID-19 variant was first detected in India in October 2020 and is suspected as one of the factors responsible for the coronavirus upsurge in the country.
Outside India, the United Kingdom is the country with the highest cases of the COVID-19 strain, having recorded up to 520 cases as at May 10.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the COVID-19 was detected by the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in the Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State nearly three weeks ago.
