Coronavirus: Delta variant cases in UK rise four-fold in less than a month

Cases of the more transmissible Delta Covid variant have risen nearly four-fold in just under a month, official figures show. According to Public Health England data released on Friday, confirmed cases of the strain, first detected in India, stood at 161,981 as of 30 June – up by 50,824 on the previous week. Of the 161,981 cases, 148,538 have been in England, 10,185 in Scotland, 1,749 in Wales and 1,509 in Northern Ireland.