New variant could disrupt route out of lockdown – UK PM Johnson
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the spread of a new variant of coronavirus first detected in India could disrupt plans to move to eliminate most remaining lockdown measures in June, although it would not delay the next step in easing.
“We will proceed with our plan to move to step three in England from Monday, but I have to level with you that this new variant could pose a serious disruption to our progress, and could make it more difficult to move to step four in June,” Johnson told a Downing Street briefing on Friday.
Johnson also said that the UK was to accelerate the provision of second doses of COVID-19 vaccines, adding for now the spread of a coronavirus variant first seen in India would not derail an unlocking of the economy.
“It’s more important than ever therefore that people get the additional protection of a second dose,” he told a news conference.
“So following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, we will accelerate remaining second doses to the over 50s and those clinically vulnerable right across the country, so those doses come just eight weeks after the first dose,” he said.
Britain reported 17 new deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Friday and a further 2,193 cases of the disease, down from 2,657 new cases the day before.
Government data showed that 36.1 million people had received a first dose of a vaccine against COVID-19.
