Indian variant cases double in a week in the UK

New data from Public Health England (PHE) shows 6,959 cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock during a media briefing in Downing Street (PA)

Confirmed cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 have doubled in a week to reach almost 7,000 in the UK, although hospital admissions remain flat, data shows.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a Downing Street press conference that up to three-quarters of new coronavirus cases were the Indian variant, though he stressed that the vaccines were having an effect on keeping people out of hospital.