Coronavirus news – live: India variant cases up nearly 50% in three days as Bolton hospital admissions rise

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Indian variant could drive third coronavirus wave in UK, says Prof Andrew Hayward

There are now 3,424 cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 in the UK, Public Health England (PHE) confirmed today.

Cases have almost doubled since Monday when the figure was at 2,323. In England 3,245 cases have now been confirmed, along with 136 in Scotland, 28 in Wales and 15 in Northern Ireland.

It comes as the number of Covid patients admitted to hospital in Bolton has increased to 30, rising by 5 in 24 hours.

Staff at the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust confirmed to The Independent that an extra ward has been opened for Covid positive patients today, as a previous ward has become full, while seven patients are in intensive care and 27 are on oxygen.

Meanwhile, Professor Andrew Hayward, an infectious disease expert at University College London, warned earlier that Britain could be on the brink of a third wave.

Read more:

• Covid cases rapidly rising in areas where India variant prevalent
• Mapped: Where is the Indian Covid variant in the UK?
• UK launches world-first trial of ‘booster’ Covid vaccines with results due in September
• More than 100 flights from India land in UK since red list introduced