The UK authorities got here underneath sturdy criticism on Sunday for not including India to the pink listing journey ban on the similar time as Pakistan and Bangladesh in early April, which is feared as a significant component behind a fast spike in instances of COVID-19’s B1.617.2 variant first recognized in India.
Downing Street stated it had taken a precautionary motion to ban journey from India on April 23, six days earlier than the B1.617 variant was put underneath investigation and two weeks earlier than its extremely transmissible subtype, B1.617.2, was labelled a Variant of Concern (VOC).
According to newest Public Health England (PHE) knowledge, round 20,000 folks travelled between India and the UK earlier than the pink listing ban and round 122 of them arriving from Delhi and Mumbai between late March and April 26 had been detected with the VOC.
Prior to India being positioned on the pink listing in April, anybody coming to the UK needed to take a look at unfavourable and quarantine for 10 days,” a UK authorities spokesperson stated.
However, the Opposition Labour Party attacked the government for a delay in acting when the variant first emerged at the end of March.
This was not inevitable. They should have put India on the red list. We’ve had this three-week period in which thousands of people have returned from India, including probably hundreds of cases of the variant, said Yvette Cooper, senior Labour MP and Chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee.
When they did finally add India to the red list two weeks after they’d added Pakistan on April 9 they gave travellers four days’ notice to rush back. Why didn’t they introduce additional testing for those travellers before they were able to get on public transport home, she questioned.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s planned visit to Delhi at the end of April, which was cancelled as the second wave of the pandemic surged in the country, is being cited by many as among the reasons for the delay in adding India on the red list despite higher infection rates per million than its neighbouring countries.
It comes as PHE revealed that cases of the B1.617.2 variant being tracked and traced in the community had more than doubled in a week to hit 1,313 cases this week.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted the VOC identified in India spread much more rapidly and may soon become the dominant variant in the country but also highlighted that based on the cases in the hotspot region of Bolton in north-west England, the indications are that those who are unvaccinated are more susceptible to hospitalisation.
He revealed that 18 people currently in hospital due to the B1.617.2 VOC have not had any dose of the COVID-19 vaccine even though they are eligible and urged all eligible over-38s to come forward for their jabs.
Because of the speed of transmission of this one, it can really spread like wildfire amongst the unvaccinated groups hence we need to get as many people vaccinated as possible, particularly among those who are most vulnerable to ending up in hospital,” he stated.
The minister reiterated that the federal government feels it’s the proper factor for the lockdown easing roadmap to go forward as deliberate for now, with Monday’s additional easing of guidelines set to go forward.
However, a call on the June 21 full lockdown easing timeline shall be taken on June 14, primarily based on knowledge over the approaching weeks to see if the B1.617.2 variant knocks us off target.
“We should be cautious, we should be cautious, we should be vigilant and we’ve stated at every step we’ll take a look at the 4 assessments that we now have,” Hancock told Sky News’.
“We’ve always said we want this to be cautious, we really want it to be irreversible. New variants are one of the biggest risks to this opening, he said.
The government, meanwhile, is deploying thousands of extra tests as part of a surge testing programme in parts of England to try to get a hold on the spread of the new variant. The vaccination programme is also being accelerated, with second doses for all vulnerable groups and over-50s brought forward from a 12 week to an eight-week gap.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has expressed serious concerns about the decision to continue with the easing of lockdown restrictions as the B1.617.2 VOC could target the younger unvaccinated group much faster.
“It is a real worry that when further measures lift on May 17, the majority of younger people, who are often highly socially mobile and could therefore be most at risk of a more infectious strain, are not yet vaccinated,” stated BMA’s Dr Richard Jarvis.
Under Monday’s easing, legally-binding lockdown restrictions are to be lifted to permit a higher diploma of indoor mixing and extra hospitality venues to reopen.
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