The Government announced on June 14th that there will be a 4-week pause in lifting Coronavirus restrictions. It is expected that England will move to the next stage of lifting lockdown on 19 July, though the data will be reviewed after 2 weeks in case the risks have changed. The government will continue to monitor the data and the move will be confirmed one week in advance.
The Delta variant (first identified in India) now accounts for over 90% of Covid cases across the country. The Delta variant spreads more easily, and there is evidence that the risk of hospitalisation is higher than for the previous variant.
Case numbers are rising and hospitalisations have started to rise. The number of deaths has not risen yet and remains very low. Previously a rise in hospitalisations has led to a rise in deaths 2 weeks later. The vaccine is changing that, but it is too early to know how effectively the vaccines will prevent deaths arising from Covid infections. It is known that 2 doses of the vaccine are much more effective than one dose against the delta variant. It is important that everyone gets both doses when the call comes.