The number of patients admitted to hospital with the Delta Covid-19 variant has almost doubled in a week, according to new figures from Public Health England (PHE).
A total of 806 people were admitted to hospital as of June 14 after being infected with the new strain, a rise of 423 on the previous week.
Of the 806, 527 (65 per cent) were unvaccinated, 135 (17 per cent) were more than 21 days after their first dose of vaccine, and 84 (10 per cent) were more than 14 days after their second dose.
In London, 5,027 cases of the Delta variant were detected, making it one of the country’s biggest hotspots behind the North West which recorded 13,098 cases.
As of June 14, there have been 73 deaths in England of people who were confirmed as having the Delta variant and who died within 28 days of a positive test.
Of this number, 34 (47 per cent) were unvaccinated, 10 (14 per cent) were more than 21 days after their first dose of vaccine and 26 (36 per cent) were more than 14 days after their second dose.
Overall, 33,630 cases of the Delta variant were detected in the UK in the last week – an increase of almost 80 per cent.
PHE said the increase – on top of 29,892 cases found in the previous week – meant that a total of 75,953 cases of the variant had been detected in the UK.
Ninety-nine per cent of cases that had undergone genomic analysis had been found to be Delta, showing how the variant was now dominant.
Vaccines remain effective at providing protection against risk of hospitalisation with the virus, PHE said.
It comes after Boris Johnson delayed “Freedom Day” for another month over concern of the spread of the Delta variant.
In a bid to accelerate the vaccination programme to beat the spread of the variant first identified in India, all adults in England can now book their Covid-19 vaccine in what health chiefs have described as “a final push to protect the country”.
Anyone aged over 18 has been urged to arrange a vaccination if they have not already had one.
The NHS is to send around 1.5 million texts to people aged 18-20 from June 18.
