Over 3400 India-related variant cases recorded in UK

A total of 3,424 cases of the India-related variant have been recorded in Britain, according to the latest figures from Public Health England published Thursday.

The B16172 variant of concern is believed to be more transmissible than the Kent variant that had become dominant in Britain.

The spread of the variant first detected in India has resulted in surge testing and vaccinations in many areas.

The latest figure came after British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Wednesday that 2,967 cases of the coronavirus variant have been reported in Britain, 28 percent up from Monday's figure of more than 2,300.

Hancock has warned that the variant can "spread like wildfire" among those who haven't had a jab.

Earlier Thursday, a British government advisory scientist warned that the India-related coronavirus variant could drive another wave in Britain.

"The virus just got faster," said Andrew Hayward, a professor from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), indicating that Britain could be at the start of the third COVID wave.

"That really brings it back down to this race against the vaccine and the virus," Hayward, an infectious disease expert at University College London, told the BBC.

Nearly 37.2 million people, or more than 70 per cent of adults in Britain, have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

From Monday, pubs, bars, and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums, and children's play areas.

People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of green-list countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.

The British government's roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21.

Experts have warned that despite progress in vaccine rollout, Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants, particularly those first emerged in South Africa, Brazil, and India.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.