Londoners urged to have coronavirus vaccine, as cases of variant first detected in India rise in the capital
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says it's likely the strain is more transmissible
People in London who are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine but haven't yet had it are being reminded it's there for them whenever they like - as cases of the Indian variant rise in the city.
"Any of those people can come forward at any time to get vaccinated. There's no cut off date where we'll say no, it's too late," says Lambeth's Director of Public Health Ruth Hutt.
Yesterday health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed it's likely this strain of the virus is more transmissable - and more than 2,323 cases of it have now been reported nationally.
There are concerns people are being hospitalised who were eligible for the vaccine - but haven't had it yet.
"We know in London we have a slightly low uptake of the vaccine across the board, so we will be really looking at how we engage and work with communities where vaccination rates aren't as high as we'd like them to be," continues Ms Hutt.
Yesterday, Mr Hancock revealed there are 86 local authority areas where there are five or more confirmed cases of the variant - and said that surge testing will take place in Bedford following a rise in cases.
In Bolton and Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen, cases of the variant have doubled in the last week and are rising in all age groups.