Britain on the verge of a third wave of the epidemic

A scientist-advisor to the British government warned indications that the country is on the edge of a third coronavirus wave.

Ravi Gupta, a professor at Oxford University, said that although the number of new cases is relatively small, the Indian variation of the virus has registered double growth.

He believes that the lifting of restrictions to combat the corona pandemic in Britain, scheduled for next 21 June, should be postponed. Environment Minister George Eustis did not rule out the possibility the government might do so.

On Sunday, Britain recorded 3,000 new cases for the fifth consecutive day. It had not exceeded that number since 12 April.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Professor Gupta was asked whether Britain is currently witnessing the third wave of coronavirus: 

“Yes, there is a multiplier increase in new infections, and at least three-quarters of these infections are of the Indian strain. 

The number of injuries is relatively small, of course, but the waves all start with a small number of injuries and then increase and explode later. What we observe today is the beginnings of a new wave.”

But he said that the number of people who have received the vaccine makes this wave take longer to appear compared to previous ones, therefore giving a false sense of security, which is worrying. 

The government will announce its final decision on lifting restrictions on 14 June. It is believed that the Indian variant is spreading faster than the British’s Kent and is responsible for the number of infections in Britain during the winter.