The Government has confirmed that it is keeping a close eye on a mutation of the Delta COVID-19 variant.
The variant, AY4.2 is predicted to make up around 6% of total sequenced cases in the United Kingdom at present, but this is on the rise.
At present there are no direct links or confirmation that this variant spreads faster than the current Delta variant, but the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said earlier that it is something that the government is keeping a close eye on and would take action if required.
If comes as the United Kingdom recorded a further 223 COVID-19 related deaths, the highest figure since early in March. There are also signs that hospitalisations are starting to rise across the country and case numbers are also increasing week on week at present.
In Herefordshire, a further 140 new cases were recorded. This taking the total number of cases recorded in the county since the start of the pandemic to 17,064.
