UK may be edging into a third wave, according to scientist advisor
The UK may be in the early stages of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, according to a scientist advising the government.
Professor Ravi Gupta has said that although new cases were “relatively low”, the Indian variant had caused “exponential growth” in infections.
The University of Cambridge professor added that lifting Covid restrictions in England on 21 June should be postponed.
“Yes, there has been exponential growth in the number of the new cases and at least three-quarters of them are the new (Indian) variant,” Gupta told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Environment secretary George Eustice has also said that a delay to the end of the restrictions roadmap could not be ruled out amid rising infection rates.
The UK has reported over 3,000 new coronavirus infections for the fifth day in a row – the UK had not exceeded that figure since more restrictions lifted on 12 April.
“Of course the numbers of cases are relatively low at the moment – all waves start with low numbers of cases that grumble in the background and then become explosive, so the key here is that what we are seeing here is the signs of an early wave,” the professor continued.
However, Gupta said that the potential third wave would likely take longer to reveal itself due to the number of people vaccinated.
Over 25m people have now had received both jabs, while a fourth vaccine has been approved by the UK’s medical watchdog.
“There may be a false sense of security for some time, and that’s our concern.”