Only 3% of under-50s hospitalised with Indian Covid have been fully vaccinated

No-one doubled-jabbed and under the age of 50 in England has died from the Indian Covid variant, promising Government data shows.

Public Health England’s report also revealed that just 3 per cent of people in that age group who caught the strain and were admitted to hospital by June 21 were fully vaccinated.

Officials hailed the finding as ‘hugely encouraging’, but warned against complacency as the same data showed two people under 50 had died from Covid while waiting for their second dose.  

Patients were also at a higher risk of being hospitalised with the mutant ‘Delta’ variant if they had only been given one dose, highlighting the importance of two.

England’s original June 21 Freedom Day was pushed back to July 19 to buy the country more time to get more second injections into arms. Currently about 60 per cent of adults have been fully immunised.

PHE said cases of the Indiant variant, which it believes is around 80 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant Kent strain, rose 46 per cent in a week across the UK with 35,204 more infections.

The report today showed that, since the variant was the first discovered in April, the most cases have been found in Bolton in Greater Manchester, where 5,017 positive tests had been linked to the strain by June 21.

Other hard-hit areas were in the North of England or Yorkshire, too, with Manchester (4,100), Blackburn (3,161), Leeds (3,079) and Birmingham (2,589) making up the five worst-affected areas. 

The variant is least common in rural areas, mainly in the South West, with the lowest numbers of cases found in West Devon, the only authority with fewer than 10 cases, and Torridge (10), North Norfolk (11), North Devon (13) and South Hams (14). 

Meanwhile, PHE warned it had spotted another new Covid variant that emerged in Peru and has infected at least six Britons. The ‘Lambda’ strain, as it’s been named by the World Health Organization, has been designated a ‘Variant Under Investigation’ while PHE work out how infectious, deadly or vaccine-resistant it is.

The report today showed that, since the variant was the first discovered in April, the most cases have been found in Bolton in Greater Manchester, where 5,017 positive tests had been linked to the strain by June 21. Other hard-hit areas were in the North of England or Yorkshire, too, with Manchester (4,100), Blackburn (3,161), Leeds (3,079) and Birmingham (2,589) making up the five worst-affected areas

The six cases of Lambda have been linked to overseas travel. PHE said there was currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe disease or renders vaccines less effective.

The body also said the figures for variants this week are likely to be an underestimate owing to an operational issue being investigated by the Wellcome Sanger Institute on potential cross-contamination of a number of positive Covid-19 samples. 

The report found the Delta Indian variant was accounting for the overwhelming majority of cases at 95 per cent by June 21.

A further 514 people were admitted to hospital in England with Covid-19 in the last week. Of these, 304 were unvaccinated. The Delta variant now makes up 95 per cent of all new infections.

Commenting on the report, Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency said: ‘Through the success of our vaccination programme, data suggest we have begun to break the link between cases and hospitalisations. 

‘This is hugely encouraging news, but we cannot become complacent. Two doses of vaccine are far more effective against Covid than a single dose, so please make sure that you come forward to get your second dose as soon as you are invited.

‘Whilst vaccines provide excellent protection, they do not provide total protection, so it is still as important as ever that we continue to exercise caution. 

‘Protect yourself and the people around you by working from home where possible, and by practising ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ at all times.’