Matt Hancock announces surge testing and increased vaccinations in Leicester

The health secretary said in Parliament this afternoon that testing and vaccinations will be stepped up in six areas in England, including the city, after wastewater analysis detected variant threats.

Updating MPS he revealed that the number of cases of the Indian variant uncovered in the UK has now risen to 2,967. On Monday the figure was 2,323 meaning a 28 per cent increase in two days.

Mr Hancock said: “Mobility data shows how often people travel from one area to another, and we look at this in deciding where the virus is likely to spread.

“And we now analyse wastewater, in 70 per cent of the country, and we can spot the virus, and the variants in the water, to identify communities where there is spread.

“As a result of all this analysis, I can tell the house that we will now be surge testing and vaccinations in Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester, and North Tyneside. And we’re supporting the Scottish government who are taking a similar action in Glasgow and Moray.

He added: “What this means in practice is we’re putting in place more testing and more testing sites and on vaccinations, we’re making more vaccinations available to everyone who’s eligible.”

Talking about the Indian variant, before Mr Hancock’s earlier speech, Leicester’s Director of Public Health Professor Ivan Browne said: “Having been notified at the end of April of our first positive cases where a variant for investigation was found, we expected more cases to follow, and that is what’s happened.

“There is currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness or increased risk of mortality. Our advice to everyone remains the same.

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• indian variant