Delta variant fuelled 50% rise in English COVID prevalence -study

FILE PHOTO: Staff member collects PCR tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from members of the public, who have done a test in their own car, at a mobile testing unit at Oasis Beach Swimming Pool in Bedford, Britain May 25, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs

LONDON (Reuters) - The rapid spread of the Delta coronavirus variant has driven a 50% rise in infections in England since May, a large prevalence study led by Imperial College London found on Thursday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed the end of restrictions.

The government said the data https://bit.ly/35rKhlp supported Johnson's decision to push back the end of COVID restrictions in England to July 19, citing the threat of the Delta variant first identified in India, and the need to vaccinate more people.