An updated map has shown which areas of West Yorkshire have recorded confirmed cases of the Indian or Delta variant of coronavirus - and where the strain is spreading fastest in our region.
The variant - known as B.1.617.2 - has been detected in three local authority areas across West Yorkshire, with the highest number of infections recorded in Kirklees (28.50) - one of the highest in the nation.
Recently, two West Yorkshire schools within 10 miles of each other have had outbreaks of the Indian variant.
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Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, who represents Wakefield South, said that he had received communication of a small number of cases of the Indian variant in two schools in Wakefield.
Updated Covid rules have been introduced in Kirklees, advising people not to travel and to keep distant from others in a bid to curb the rise of infections sparked by the new variant.
In Kirklees, residents are being advised to meet outdoors instead of inside, keep two metres from people and to 'minimise travel' in and out of the area.
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Latest data from Public Health England has also shown a total of 5,238 cases of the variant have now been identified across the UK.
Below is a breakdown of the number of cases of the Indian strain to have been identified in local authority areas across West Yorkshire in the two weeks to May 15, according to the map's updated genome data:
- Kirklees - 28.50
- Calderdale - 12.50
- Leeds - 4.50
- Bradford - 2
- Wakefield - 0
