Indian Covid variant is now in every council in England bar one, official data shows

Indian ‘Delta’ Covid variant is now in every council in England bar one, official data shows as mutant strain now makes up 96 per cent of all cases after nearly tripling in a week

  • EXCLUSIVE: The Isles of Scilly is the only  are in the country not to have recorded a case of the Indian variant
  • Bolton remains by far the worst affected area in the country with 3,896 cases, followed by Blackburn (1,924) 
  • Boris Johnson is being pushed to delay June 21 ‘Freedom Day’ due to spiralling cases of the mutant strain 

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The Indian Covid variant has now been detected in every part of England bar one, official data show as the mutant strain spirals out of control in the country.

Public Health England confirmed to MailOnline today the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall is the only area in the country to have not recorded at least one case of the ‘Delta’ variant.

Bolton remains by far the worst affected area in the country with 3,896 cases to date, followed by Blackburn with Darwen (1,924), Manchester (1,580) and Birmingham (1,076).

Only 20 areas in the country have had fewer than five cases of the mutant strain while more than 92 have seen in excess of 100 — 29 per cent of the local authorities in England 

Britain today recorded another 8,125 Covid cases in the biggest spike since February as worrying figures continue to push Boris Johnson towards delaying ‘Freedom Day’ and extending the current restrictions through summer.

The figure was a 30 per cent spike on last Friday’s and means that, since Monday, 34,789 people have tested positive compared to 22,390 between Monday and Friday last week.

Up to 96 per cent of all new cases are made up of the Indian variant, PHE estimates, with the number of positive tests being linked back to the strain more than tripling from 12,431 to 42,323 in just a week.

PHE estimates that the strain is 60 per cent more transmissible compared with the previously dominant Kent variant and that cases are doubling every four and a half days in some parts of England.

The Prime Minister today hinted ‘Freedom Day’ on June 21 could be delayed as he said the nation must ‘make sure that we don’t repeat some of the errors’ that have been made since the start of the coronavirus crisis.  

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus chairwoman Layla Moran said the variant figures should ‘set alarm bells ringing in Government’.

Public Health England data show there has been at least one confirmed case of the Delta Covid variant in every local authority area on mainland England. The Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall are the only place still untouched

Public Health England data show there has been at least one confirmed case of the Delta Covid variant in every local authority area on mainland England. The Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall are the only place still untouched

Public Health England data show there has been at least one confirmed case of the Delta Covid variant in every local authority area on mainland England. The Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall are the only place still untouched

The Public Health England Data going up to May 27 shows half of council areas across the country had more than 40 new cases of the variant.

The true number is likely to be even higher because of the time it takes to work out which variant a positive test was caused by. Of the ten areas with the highest number of cases, eight are already under stricter lockdown guidance with residents urged to be cautious with travel and mass testing in place.

They were: Bolton (3,896), Blackburn with Darwen (1,924), Manchester (1,580), Bedford (896), Wigan (813), Salford (776), Kirklees (657) and Stockport (647). 

Birmingham (1,076) and Leicester (647) have not yet been issued with any special guidance.

Sefton Council, one of the 49 areas in England with more than 200 cases, told MailOnline it did not want to follow Greater Manchester and Lancashire

A spokesperson said: ‘Sefton’s current position varies greatly to that of areas of Greater Manchester and Lancashire. 

‘Our local Public Health teams work closely with national PHE and DHSC colleagues and while we do not currently feel that greater restrictions in areas of Sefton are necessary at this time, we will of course continue to closely monitor the situation and the options available to us.’

PHE figures show that the number of positive tests linked back to the strain more than tripled from 12,431 to 42,323 in just a week. 

Part of this increase was down to an improved testing system that speeds up the process of working out which variant someone is infected with, PHE said, but cases are rising in the real world, too.

The variant was only discovered in April but already accounts for 96 per cent of all positives, which is likely down to the fact that it is an estimated 64 per cent more transmissible than the Kent strain was. Experts say it appears better equipped to latch onto cells in people’s airways meaning less exposure is needed to trigger an infection.

Data that showed 8,288 Indian variant cases in the North West by June 7, compared to 2,325 in London, the second worst affected area. The NW cases were almost half of all those in England.

Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian 'Delta' variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks

Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian 'Delta' variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks

Public Health England data show how it took just a matter of weeks for the Indian ‘Delta’ variant to smash past the Kent strain and take over as dominant in England, with it surging to make up 96 per cent of cases in just nine weeks

The Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey suggested England's outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases - compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before

The Office for National Statistics' weekly infection survey suggested England's outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases - compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before

The Office for National Statistics’ weekly infection survey suggested England’s outbreak grew by only 13 per cent last week to 96,800 total cases – compared to a near-doubling 75 per cent surge the week before

The R rate is highest in the North West, where it could be as high as 1.5. The region is the Indian variant hotspot and cases there have exploded in the past fortnight. A quarter of all the 7,400 cases announced in the UK yesterday were in the North West

The R rate is highest in the North West, where it could be as high as 1.5. The region is the Indian variant hotspot and cases there have exploded in the past fortnight. A quarter of all the 7,400 cases announced in the UK yesterday were in the North West

The R rate is highest in the North West, where it could be as high as 1.5. The region is the Indian variant hotspot and cases there have exploded in the past fortnight. A quarter of all the 7,400 cases announced in the UK yesterday were in the North West

AREAS WITH THE MOST CASES 

  1. Bolton (3,896)
  2. Blackburn with Darwen (1,924)
  3. Manchester (1,580)
  4. Birmingham (1,076)
  5. Bedford (896)
  6. Wigan (813)
  7. Salford (776)
  8. Kirklees (657)
  9. Leicester (647)
  10. Stockport (642)
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Government critics were taken aback by the ‘terrible’ data and Liberal Democrat MP Ms Moran said: ‘These figures should set alarm bells ringing in Government as we approach June 21.

‘The Government must immediately explain to the public whether this exponential growth suggests the country is in line for a severe third wave, and if so what it is doing to prevent this.’

Meanwhile, Labour warned that the pace of the variant’s spread put the potential lifting of lockdown restrictions at risk.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: ‘The pace at which cases of the Delta variant continue to rise is deeply worrying and is putting the lifting of restrictions at risk.

‘The blame for this lies with the Prime Minister and his reckless refusal to act on Labour’s repeated warnings to secure our borders against Covid and its variants.’

However, Downing Street has defended its borders policy in relation to the Delta variant.

Asked whether Boris Johnson regretted not putting India on the red list of travel restrictions sooner the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘I would point to the tough border measures that we’ve had in place for a fair amount of time now.

‘We’ve ensured that anybody arriving from India needed to quarantine at home, and then later as you said they were put on the red list which means that people have to quarantine in a hotel if they arrive in the UK from India.’

HOW MANY DELTA VARIANT CASES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED IN EACH AREA?
AREA NAME VARIANT CASES AREA NAME VARIANT CASES AREA NAME VARIANT CASES AREA NAME VARIANT CASES
Isles of Scilly 0 Southend-on-Sea 14 Guildford 40 Redbridge 126
Amber Valley <5 Stafford 14 Middlesbrough 40 High Peak 127
Bolsover <5 Stroud 14 South Gloucestershire 40 Lewisham 132
Boston <5 Wealden 14 Tandridge 41 Waverley 132
Corby <5 Wellingborough 14 Wiltshire 41 Dudley 134
East Cambridgeshire <5 Wyre Forest 14 West Berkshire 42 Hammersmith and Fulham 137
East Devon <5 Colchester 15 Mid Suffolk 43 Camden 139
Eastbourne <5 Eastleigh 15 Worthing 43 County Durham 142
Fenland <5 Erewash 15 East Hertfordshire 44 Northumberland 142
Isle of Wight <5 Gravesham 15 Windsor and Maidenhead 44 Barnet 145
Malvern Hills <5 Havant 15 Maidstone 45 Sunderland 145
Mendip <5 North Somerset 15 Rotherham 45 Blackpool 148
Mid Devon <5 Allerdale 16 Dacorum 48 Islington 155
North Devon <5 Dover 16 Northampton 48 Merton 156
North Norfolk <5 Thurrock 16 Gloucester 49 Sandwell 156
Ryedale <5 Worcester 16 Hertsmere 50 Bristol, City of 158
Sedgemoor <5 Cannock Chase 17 York 51 Charnwood 160
Somerset West and Taunton <5 Tunbridge Wells 17 Stockton-on-Tees 52 Hackney 161
South Hams <5 Vale of White Horse 17 Horsham 53 Milton Keynes 164
South Somerset <5 Fareham 18 North East Lincolnshire 54 Waltham Forest 168
Teignbridge <5 Hambleton 18 Stoke-on-Trent 54 Bracknell Forest 174
Torridge <5 Newark and Sherwood 18 Wakefield 54 Westminster 175
Cornwall 5 North Warwickshire 18 Woking 54 Wirral 179
Cotswold 5 Peterborough 18 Havering 55 Newham 180
Folkestone and Hythe 5 Redcar and Cleveland 18 Selby 55 Uttlesford 181
Plymouth 5 Shropshire 18 Redditch 57 Haringey 182
Rochford 5 Welwyn Hatfield 18 Swindon 57 Southwark 186
Babergh 6 Eden 19 East Northamptonshire 58 Calderdale 190
Castle Point 6 South Holland 19 Sevenoaks 58 Harrow 191
Great Yarmouth 6 Tewkesbury 19 Surrey Heath 59 Wokingham 199
Kettering 6 Winchester 19 Harrogate 61 Greenwich 208
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk 6 Cheltenham 20 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 62 Newcastle-under-Lyme 210
Lincoln 6 Scarborough 20 Broxtowe 62 Kingston upon Thames 214
North Kesteven 6 Broxbourne 21 Hart 63 Liverpool 214
Wychavon 6 Daventry 21 North Lincolnshire 63 Slough 214
Barrow-in-Furness 7 East Hampshire 21 Barnsley 64 Bromley 228
Breckland 7 Melton 21 Knowsley 64 Reigate and Banstead 233
East Lindsey 7 Basildon 22 West Lancashire 67 Ribble Valley 233
Gosport 7 Bromsgrove 22 Barking and Dagenham 68 Tower Hamlets 235
Tendring 7 Epping Forest 22 Gedling 68 Reading 248
Torbay 7 Swale 22 Wyre 71 Pendle 250
Darlington 8 Tamworth 22 Lancaster 72 Warrington 259
East Suffolk 8 East Staffordshire 23 Dartford 74 North Tyneside 280
Ipswich 8 Oadby and Wigston 23 Brighton and Hove 76 Sefton 291
Norwich 8 Cambridge 24 Elmbridge 77 Brent 302
Richmondshire 8 Dorset 24 Epsom and Ewell 77 Luton 303
Rutland 8 Tonbridge and Malling 24 Mid Sussex 77 Walsall 308
Copeland 9 Ashford 25 Kingston upon Hull, City of 79 Oldham 309
Exeter 9 Stratford-on-Avon 25 South Oxfordshire 80 Hounslow 312
Forest of Dean 9 Derby 26 South Northamptonshire 82 Nottingham 314
New Forest 9 Runnymede 26 Wolverhampton 82 Chorley 324
Rother 9 Arun 27 Kensington and Chelsea 83 Tameside 327
Hastings 10 Portsmouth 28 Blaby 85 Cheshire West and Chester 329
Mansfield 10 Watford 28 Nuneaton and Bedworth 85 Central Bedfordshire 341
South Derbyshire 10 West Lindsey 28 Three Rivers 87 Burnley 352
South Norfolk 10 Newcastle upon Tyne 29 Bexley 88 Hyndburn 362
Chesterfield 11 West Devon 29 Oxford 88 South Ribble 366
Craven 11 Cherwell 31 Spelthorne 88 Ealing 370
South Kesteven 11 West Oxfordshire 31 Enfield 90 Lambeth 371
Thanet 11 Halton 32 Fylde 91 Hillingdon 386
Adur 12 Huntingdonshire 32 South Tyneside 91 Rochdale 436
Brentwood 12 Hinckley and Bosworth 33 St. Helens 91 Preston 450
Broadland 12 Southampton 34 Staffordshire Moorlands 92 Cheshire East 457
City of London 12 St Albans 34 Telford and Wrekin 92 Croydon 460
Derbyshire Dales 12 Bassetlaw 35 East Riding of Yorkshire 93 Trafford 460
Harlow 12 Mole Valley 35 Rushmoor 97 Rossendale 461
South Staffordshire 12 North Hertfordshire 35 Solihull 98 Bradford 524
Carlisle 13 Rugby 35 Medway 102 Bury 562
Maldon 13 North West Leicestershire 36 Richmond upon Thames 102 Leeds 640
South Cambridgeshire 13 Basingstoke and Deane 37 Doncaster 104 Stockport 642
South Lakeland 13 Lichfield 37 Sutton 106 Leicester 647
West Suffolk 13 Stevenage 37 Canterbury 107 Kirklees 657
Ashfield 14 Chelmsford 38 Sheffield 108 Salford 776
Bath and North East Somerset 14 Herefordshire, County of 38 Gateshead 112 Wigan 813
Braintree 14 South Bucks 38 Wycombe 113 Bedford 896
Chichester 14 Rushcliffe 39 Aylesbury Vale 114 Birmingham 1,076
Harborough 14 Test Valley 39 Coventry 114 Manchester 1,580
Hartlepool 14 Chiltern 40 Wandsworth 117 Blackburn with Darwen 1,924
Lewes 14 Crawley 40 Warwick 119 Bolton 3,896
North East Derbyshire 14

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