London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Sharp rise in UK Covid cases casts doubt on more lockdown easing before 19 July

Sharp rise in UK Covid cases casts doubt on more lockdown easing before 19 July

More than 16,000 new confirmed cases were reported on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since early February

More than 16,000 new confirmed Covid cases were reported in the UK on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since early February, even as the vaccines minister expressed confidence that the next stage of lifting restrictions in England could go ahead in July as planned.

As of 9am on Wednesday, there had been another 16,135 coronavirus cases confirmed by laboratories across the UK, the highest such total since 6 February. By contrast, on Tuesday, there had been 11,625 cases confirmed, and 9,055 on Wednesday a week ago.

The newest figures showed another 19 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 128,027.

While death figures remain relatively low, the sharp rise in reported cases would appear to make it even less likely that ministers will scrap most remaining Covid restrictions during the midway point of the current four-week delay to reopening.

The fourth and final stage of reopening was originally due on 21 June, but the rapid spread of the more virulent Delta variant – becoming endemic around the UK – prompted Boris Johnson to announce a delay until 19 July, to allow more vaccinations to take place.

Johnson said there would be a review into whether this could happen on 5 July if the situation improved. But with ministers due to announce the decision on this on Monday – they have promised a week’s notice for any changes – the rising case numbers make it unlikely.


However, addressing a Downing Street press conference, the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said he believed a vaccination target seen as necessary to reopen on 19 July – two vaccine doses to at least two-thirds of adults – would be met before then.

“I am confident that we will have 66% of the adult population with the protection of two jabs by that date that the prime minister has set us,” Zahawi said.

He added that 82% of all adults in England had received at least one dose, and 60% had had both. Almost half of those aged 25 to 29, and a third of 18-to-24-year-olds, had been given a first vaccination, he said.


On Wednesday, Downing Street said it was watching any potential spread of the so-called Delta Plus variant, which is the Delta variant with an additional mutation called K417N.

Public Health England said 41 cases of Delta Plus had been identified across England. Johnson’s spokesperson said: “That is obviously something we are monitoring closely, and Public Health England have said additional measures are already in place where cases of this variant are detected.”

The concern about Delta Plus is that the K417N mutation is also found in the Beta variant, which was first detected in South Africa. There is evidence that suggests the Beta variant could be partially resistant to vaccines based on the original pandemic virus, and to immunity gained from previous Covid infection.

Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, Mary Ramsay, a doctor and head of immunisation at PHE, said she expected vaccines to work against it. “The good message is that what we expected to happen with Delta was that the vaccines would prove to still work against the more serious disease, and we expect the same for this other variant.”

The Delta Plus variant was first observed in India and has spread to several countries, including Nepal. However, given that numbers of the variant remain low it is possible that it is not more transmissible than the standard Delta variant.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×