Indian variant of coronavirus detected in the East Riding
The Indian variant of coronavirus has been detected in the East Riding as spikes believed to be fuelled by the strain continue elsewhere.
The Indian variant of coronavirus has been detected in the East Riding as spikes believed to be fuelled by the strain continue elsewhere.
The latest Wellcome-Sangar Institute data showed one sample of the B.1.617.2 variant had been sequenced from the East Riding in the two weeks leading up to Saturday, May 15.
Figures from the body which monitors coronavirus strains also showed cases related to the Indian variant accounted for 8.7 per cent of East Riding cases during the same time period.
The detection of the variant in the East Riding comes after data showed 2 per cent of all coronavirus cases in Hull were linked to it in the two weeks up to Saturday, May 8.
Figures for Hull up to Saturday, May 15 showed it fell and made up no share of cases in those two weeks.
The variant has now taken firm hold in places such as Blackburn with Darwent, Bolton and Sefton in Lancashire as well as in parts of the Midlands and the South East.
Blackburn with Darwent saw the highest proportion of cases linked to the variant in the two weeks up to Saturday, May 15 with it accounting for 90.4 per cent of new cases.
The proportion in Bolton was 88.5 per cent and in Sefton it was 81.4 per cent.
Elsewhere in Yorkshire and the Humber, the variant accounted for 27.8 per cent in North Lincolnshire, 14.3 per cent in Kirklees, 13 per cent in Doncaster, 6.7 per cent in Barnsley and 1.6 per cent in Leeds.
The growth in cases related to the variant comes as England recorded 3,180 new daily coronavirus cases yesterday (Wednesday, May 26), the highest number in more than a month.
A total of 3,568 new daily cases were recorded on Monday, April 12 but then fell through late April and early May.
It remains unclear if the rise of the Indian variant is fuelling the increases.
The East Riding recorded 69 new coronavirus cases in the seven days leading up to Wednesday, May 21, according to the latest Public Health England figures.
That figure was down by 16 compared to the previous week, with the rolling rate of cases per 100,000 people falling from 24.9 to 20.2 in the same period.
Hull’s figures were 40 new cases, down by eight, with cases per 100,000 people dropping from 18.5 to 15.4.