Cases of the Delta variant of coronavirus first identified in India are estimated to be doubling every four and a half days in parts of England, new data suggests.
Public Health England (PHE) said on Friday that 42,323 cases of the Delta variant that originated in India have been confirmed in the UK, up by 29,892 from last week.Growth rates for Delta cases are high across all parts of the country, it added, with regional estimates for doubling time ranging from 4.5 days to 11.5 days.
The growth rate was shortest in the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber and longest in the East of England, PHE said.In England 39,061 cases of the Delta variant of coronavirus have been confirmed, along with 3,035 in Scotland, 184 in Wales and 43 in Northern Ireland.
PHE also said that more than 90% of new Covid-19 cases are now the Delta variant, with new research suggesting it is associated with an approximately 60% increased risk of household transmission compared with the Alpha or Kent strain.