The Delta (India) variant of the coronavirus is estimated to be 40% more transmissible than the Alpha (UK) variant that caused the last wave of infections in the UK, Britain's health minister has said.
But people who have received two doses of vaccine, should be equally protected against either variant, Matt Hancock added. "That figure, around 40% more transmissible, is indeed the latest advice I have," he told Sky News.
The Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the UK, according to Public Health England figures. It was the Alpha variant that forced the UK into lockdown in January.
Mr Hancock said the 40% figure came from the government body of scientific advisors, SAGE. Concerns are mounting over whether the emergence of the Delta