British health authorities recorded Thursday, June 17, 11,007 new cases of coronavirus contamination in 24 hours, exceeding 10,000 for the first time since the end of February against the backdrop of a surge of the Delta variant initially detected in India.
Read also: Covid-19: does the progression of the epidemic in the United Kingdom sign the failure of vaccines?
Country in Europe most bereaved by the pandemic with 127,945 dead, the United Kingdom saw its health situation improve markedly in the spring thanks to a long confinement and a very effective vaccination campaign. But the feeling of victory in the face of the virus is clouded by the sudden degradation observed in recent times. This trend, marked by a 33.7% jump in contamination in one week, forced the British government on Monday to postpone the total lifting of health restrictions by four weeks.
A study released Thursday by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI found cases are "
increasing exponentially
" across England, mostly in unvaccinated age groups. Data suggests cases are doubling every 11 days. By testing 109,000 people between May 20 and June 7, the researchers found a 50% increase in infections compared to the previous test phase (April 15-May 3).
However, the death rate remains low, with 19 deaths recorded on Thursday, and the vaccines are considered very effective in preventing severe forms of the disease linked to the new variants. "
80% of all adults in the United Kingdom have now received at least one dose of the vaccine,
" Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet on Thursday, calling for "to
continue on this path
". So far, 58% of adults have received two doses, but authorities have reduced the gap between doses from 12 to 8 weeks to reach two-thirds of fully vaccinated adults by July 19, the date now scheduled for lifting. of the latest restrictions.